Where the Lines Overlap
by the-other-happy-one
Summary: When a snotty Brit moves into Alfred's neighborhood and joins his performing arts class, they promptly decide they wan't nothing to do with each other. But when they discover that they can switch bodies with the work of a kiss, they realize what an amazing lie they are living. Secrets are hard to keep from somebody that is in your own skin after all. USUK AU, katkirkland's request
1. Chapter 1

**Okay all. This story's idea came from katkirkland on tumblr, but she said she wanted somebody else to write it, so I suppose this could be considered a request but she gets the credit no? I descovered she has a fanfiction account too, she's kimikissu07. She got the idea from a manga series called Yamada-kun to 7-nin no Majo. ****Anyway, this is my first USUK fic! I made a whole new account just to post it. (more details in my profile) I love you all! Lets give this a try. **

**I don't own Hetalia!...collapses in the corner and cries.**

–

"Excuse me?"

Alfred stopped and blinked a few times at hearing the unfamiliar voice. He could have sworn nobody in his school had a British accent, though they had a large diversity of people at his school. He turned toward the voice and saw a boy, only a few inches shorter than him. His light blond hair was messy around his forehead and his large green eyes looked very much confused.

"Um, yeah?" Alfred said back after taking a glace at his watch. He couldn't help but notice the halls were emptying and he really didn't want to be late for his next class.

"Could you help me find room 602?" The boy asked quickly.

Alfred chuckled and turned towards the stairs he had to climb then started up them, expecting the boy to follow, which he did. "I don't know room numbers man, I just memorize locations. Tell me what your next class is, maybe I can tell you what hall it's in."

The boy seemed to let out an annoyed grunt, clearly not pleased. "Theater Productions." He read off of his paper.

Alfred was surprised for a second but got over it quickly after looking the other up and down, noting his noticeably large eyebrows. "Huh, that's my next class, so just follow me I guess."

The boy seemed to be in a little better mood after that. "Oh, well that's convenient, thank you."

"Yeah." Alfred mumbled. "I thought that Productions Company was just for Juniors and Seniors who auditioned in." He couldn't help but be a bit disappointed. He had been looking forward to Productions Company because most all of the people who weren't serious about acting had quit during one of the pre-requisites, or not made it through the auditions. But he had never seen this kid before, and he wondered what to really expect from his final class block.

"I _am _a Junior that auditioned in." The boy seemed annoyed again. "Thank you very much."

Alfred shrugged a bit. "I assumed you were a Freshman since you didn't know the layout of the building."

He glanced over at his green eyes and the two emerald orbs glares back at him. "I just moved into the neighborhood during the summer, and this place is bloody huge, I have every right to be confused."

"_Sorry._" Alfred responded with sarcasm, making sure the boy knew he didn't mean it. What an immature punk. Al was already sensing that he wouldn't get along with this kid so he decided to play around a bit. "That's an interesting accent...Where are you from?"

The boy looked at him in complete disbelief. "Seriously? I'm from the bloody United Kingdom!" He almost snapped.

Alfred shrugged. "Never heard of it." He said plainly, but unable to hide the smile on his face. Of course he had heard of the United Kingdom. But The kid's face was priceless.

"Are you an idiot?" He said, dumbfounded. "Or are all American's as self centered and oblivious as you are?"

Alfred chuckled a bit. "Maybe I'd know it if you described it a bit more."

"It's an island, an island beside Europe you wanker." He spat.

"Is that near Miami?" Alfred shot him a cheeky grin before rolling his eyes at the Brit's astounded face as he opened the door to room 602.

The noise made from rowdy drama kids met him almost instantly. He smiled at the familiar sight of the small, carpeted stage in front of the rows of desks. A boy Al recognized as a red head Italian named Feliciano looked up at the pair as the bell rang for them all to sit down.

Regardless of the cue, the energetic boy stood up and ran to Alfred, hugging him. "Alfred! It's been forever!" He said happily before letting go. Al was used to the touchy feely atmosphere around the many teenage actors, so he wasn't phased, even though he had never been particularly close to Feliciano or his older brother.

He smiled at his shorter classmate. "Yeah it has." He looked around. "Where's Gilbert?" He asked.

Alfred was answered by the very person he searched for tackling him to the ground, pushing him flat against the floor, and twisting his arm behind his back. "Hey Alfred!" He said loudly with a laugh. "You're loosing so early in the year? Perhaps you've excepted I'm just too awesome to defeat?!"

Alfred laughed loudly and slapped his hand on the ground in surrender. "Oh God I missed you Gilbert." He said, glad to see his old friend.

Gilbert let him up off the ground and helped him up. Before he could say anything however, the teacher entered the room and said loudly "Shut up!"

The room went quiet and all eyes turned to Mrs. Héderváry. She was only in her mid 20's but every person in that room knew not to mess with her, despite her cheerful disposition. However none of them had expected to be yelled at on the first day of the school year.

There was a long silence until she smiled widely. "Is everybody excited?"

There was an audible sound of relief throughout the room and everybody laughed, along with enthusiastic fist pumps and a few excited curse words.

"Everybody take a seat." Mrs. Héderváry said as she circled around the front of the room to the carpeted steps in front of the stage. "I know many of you have been looking forward to this quite a bit."

Alfred and Gilbert hurriedly found seats next to each other in the back row, surrounding themselves with friends from the previous two years of obnoxious theater kid bonding. He sat down and got comfortable with Gilbert to his left, Francis to his right, and Kiku in front of him.

Alfred took a moment to notice the new kid sit on the edge of the mid section of desks. He looked a tad bit uncomfortable behind the Vargas brothers and next to Ivanand in front of two giggly girls Alfred never really bothered with. Though he _had_ noticed before that the taller of the two had a very impressive chest.

The two boy's eyes met for just a moment as they wandered the room, before glaring at each other and looking away.

Alfred shrugged smugly and turned his attention toward the front of the classroom. "Alright, this is the last period of the day, and I know the get to know you games and disclosure documents get old, but suffer through it once more alright?" A few groans ran through the rows of desks, even though they all knew the simplicity of the first day of school would be missed soon. "Most of you already know each other, we have grown close over the past years and now you are finally here at your goal. Everyone in this room is passionate about what we will all be doing. It's your job to make sure you make this experience worth as much as you can."

Alfred's excitement grew inside him. He was determined to make this year amazing. The introductions started soon and he was surprised to see a couple new faces, who didn't seem to have trouble making friends at all. There was some tan chick from an island Alfred _really_ didn't know this time, and a sleepy looking dude form Greece.

Then Alfred smiled to himself as the Brit stood up. "My name is Arthur Kirkland, I'm from England." Alfred took note that Arthur hadn't used the term United Kingdom, no doubt because of their encounter earlier because he glared right at Alfred as he said it. "I look forward to learning about acting in the United States. No doubt it will be a very different experience." He smiled kindly at everybody before sitting down.

What a snob.

–

Alfred yawned and stepped out into the late August rain, holding his jacket over his head. He found himself glad he didn't wear his favorite bomber jacket today, or it would have been ruined by the rain. He didn't have his license but he didn't mind not driving. Virginia had a pleasant landscape and he didn't live too far from the school if he cut through the thick trees. He had memorized a quick path home by now and usually could make it home within 15 minutes.

Luckily the thick trees served as a good shield from the rain so Alfred's jacket didn't get soaked at least. He only walked for awhile through the trees before taking his jacket away from his head when there was a thick enough protection to turn the rain into more of a mist. His glasses felt out of place on his nose as he rubbed some raindrops away with his sleeve. While he did, he heard a familiar voice, and recognized the snobby British accent in an instant. For a moment he thought Arthur had followed him, but then he realized it was coming from ahead.

Alfred couldn't help but fancy himself a secret agent, or a hero of sorts and he snuck up behind a nearby tree and peeked around it at Arthur. The Englishman was sitting on a rock with his bookbag on the ground. "I don't want to go home yet." He said aloud, for a moment Al thought he had been caught until Arthur continued talking.

"Of course not. William is probably is a jerky mood again today."

What on earth was he replying to? Was he crazy? Should have seen that coming.

"Speaking of jerks, of _all_ the people you could have told me to ask for directions, did it have to be that stupid American? What was his name, Alfonse?" there was a pause in which Alfred bit his cheek. "Alfred? I don't care what his name is, he's a complete moron!"

At this point Alfred felt a little peeved. True he had acted like a jerk to Arthur earlier, but it _was_ just teasing. "What do you mean special?" Arthur said, annoyed.

Alfred rolled his eyes and stepped out from behind the tree. "Hey, dude who the hell are you talking to?"

Arthur looked up with a start. "A-Alfred!" The Brit stood up quickly. "How long have you...did you follow me?"

Alfred scoffed. "Don't flatter yourself." He said plainly. "This is my route home, I live on the other side of these trees. If anything, I'd say you followed _me."_

Arthur glared. "I'm no stalker, and even if I was you'd be the last person I'd follow. I just so happen to live on the other side too."

Alfred rolled his eyes. "I'm pretty sure I would have seen you by now."

"Shows just how observant you are. You don't even know where the bloody United Kingdom is!"

"I was just joking dude calm down."

"You shut up."

"Whatever, you talking to the air was all I need to know you're nuts so I'm going home now."

"What did you say, git?!" Arthur took a step toward Alfred, looking flustered and angry. "I'm not by any means mad!"

Alfred met his step forward, taking his own. "No, just crazy."

Arthur clenched his fists and stomped right up to the other, not scared in any way shape or form. "I'm not crazy!"

"Then who were you talking to huh? If all Brits are as crazy as you I'm more glad then ever for the American Revolution."

"Shut up! It's not my fault you can't see them!" Arthur got right up into the taller boys face, clearly angry.

"See what? Unicorns?" Alfred wiggled his fingers mockingly in the air to imitate magic.

"No!...Well...Sometimes, but that's not-" Arthur was cut off by Alfred laughing loudly, holding his stomach and bending over.

"Oh you're priceless!" He exclaimed loudly before straightening up again. "You've got to be kidding me!"

"Shut up!" Arthur said again, but this time he seemed to be saying it to all the air around him. He clenched his jaw and said "Not on your life." Before turning back to Alfred.

"You talking to your imaginary friends?" Alfred teased.

"They're not-" He stopped as if he was listening to something then he blushed ferociously. "I don't need to explain myself to you! You're just a stupid jerk!" Arthur promptly picked up his bag and pushed past Alfred, stomping off across the muddy landscape.

Alfred watched him for awhile before the rain got heavier and took him away from his thoughts. "That kid is just weird." He said, pulling his jacket over his head again before walking through the trees toward his home.

The weather made him move quickly, so he got there sooner than he expected. Alfred rented the basement of a family's house with his mom. It wasn't large, but it was quite livable. His mom covered the rent, but in all honesty that's about all she did. As of that point, Alfred hadn't seen his mother for two weeks. He was starting to like it that way though, he found he liked being independent. After all, he knew how to cook, and everything he needed was in walking distance, he didn't need much to live on, and usually his mom would stop by every now and then to give him some cash for groceries. She worked to support him, but he had no clue what she did the rest of the time. His mom was only fourteen years older than him, so he didn't necessarily respect her life experience, but he knew she tried her best. Or that's what he would tell himself...

He had become pretty responsible about living on his own, though last year he had been caught in a vat of depression and his grades suffered, threatening his ability to be in Productions Company. He was determined to keep his grades up this year, though he had fallen behind a little bit. He wanted to at least graduate high-school before moving on to what he really wanted to do. And that was acting of course.

As Alfred stepped through the door he kicked off his shoes and threw his book bag on the counter before shutting the door and laying down on the couch. Since he used it as a bed it was very worn, but he didn't mind at all. He breathed in and smiled a little as he curled up to listen to the rain. He wasn't sleepy, but the sound of raindrops always made him feel at peace, and even safe somehow.

He let his mind ponder on Arthur for a moment while listening. Man was that kid weird, and maybe Alfred had taken the teasing a little too far, but the kid had been talking to thin air.

But maybe Alfred was a bit of a hypocrite. Before he had developed his current personality and made friends with real people, he had imaginary friends. Maybe this kid was just as lonely as had been.

Alfred quickly shook the thoughts out of his head and buried his face in he cushions to listen to the rain paddle on the windows.

–

A whole month passed, and Alfred's grades were already dropping. Productions Company kept him very busy, staying at the school until almost 5 every day. He was exhausted, but he loved it. He and Arthur had made a point of not talking to each other since their encounter in the trees. But sharing a first and final period made that a bit awkward.

The first show Productions Company was doing this year, was a composer study on the Sherman brothers. Though Mrs. Héderváry had paired Alfred and Arthur together for a musical number, they hadn't started rehearsing yet, and Alfred wasn't looking forward to it.

It was a particularly drowsy morning when he spotted Arthur on the stairs. His face was one of concentration, and he was looking at the small screen of his cell phone. Alfred rolled his eyes as he casually headed up the stairs to their first class. As he passed Arthur, he found he had miscalculated his space and nudge past the shorter boy with his shoulder.

"Did you look up the UK yet? I figure your world map wouldn't be reliable seeing as it probably only comprises the United States." Arthur mumbled as he put his phone in his pocket.

Alfred blinked in surprise. Seeing as they had been avoiding conversation for weeks, he hadn't expected communication, much less a phrase meant to provoke.

He stopped and turned to look at Arthur and smirked despite his surprise. "Couldn't find it, so I figured it was swimming somewhere in those giant eyebrows of yours."

Arthur grit his teeth. "Why you-" He trailed off and sighed. "You really are a jerk. I don't know why I tried talking to you."

"Talking?" Alfred spat. "The first thing you said was an insult."

"You painted yourself into that corner." Arthur said, putting his hands on his hips. "You obviously know where the UK is. I was teasing."

"Yeah and so was I." Alfred rolled his eyes and swung around, his book bag flinging through the air and colliding with Arthur's stomach. He tipped backward and let out a small yelp as he grabbed blindly for the air.

On instinct, Alfred reached out to catch him, but Arthur grabbed his bag and they both fell and plummeted down the stairs.

Everything blurred flashes of black and white, a pair of green eyes, two bodies clinging to each other, pressure on Alfred's lips. Then complete darkness.

–

Alfred's eyes fluttered open, feeling himself slip into consciousness. He had a splitting headache. He winced as he rubbed his hands on his forehead, as if it would help the pain.

After observing his surroundings he realized he was in the nurses office. He breathed out a sigh of relief in knowing he was safe, and nothing felt broken. He blinked a few times and instinctively reached for his glasses, which had to be somewhere nearby.

In that moment he realized it. His vision was completely clear, and he didn't feel the weight of spectacles on his face. Alfred couldn't be called the brightest of all boys, but he could tell when he was wearing glasses.

He sat up quickly, regretting it as soon as he did, rubbing his head as the pain spiked. He still looked around the curtained area for anything reflective. He found it, a small mirror next to the bed. He saw two magnificently green eyes staring back at him and his face went red.

Alfred quickly grabbed at himself, feeling his slender frame, and running his hands up into his short messy hair. His eyes went wide as he grabbed the mirror to look at his face. Sure enough, he looked just like Arthur.

"Wh-what's going on?!" He said quickly to himself, but covered his mouth soon after. He spoke in a snobby British accent.

No way, this couldn't be happening, this was just a dream.

"Arthur!" A shrill voice proclaimed. "You had us worried!"

Alfred looked up and paled. A tiny green bunny with wings was hovering in front of him. Alfred felt his hand shaking over his mouth as he took in a shaky breath. He had no clue what to say, searching his mind for a solution, or even a response. This was crazy, or was _he_ crazy? He had just fallen down the stairs, how could _this_ have happened?

"Oh God."

**So what do you think of the first chapter? I may have rushed it a bit but as this was a request I wanted to get the story rolling fast. I don't expect this story to be magnificent, but worth reading. **

**Yes the idea for the banter between Alfred and Arthur was from a comedy sketch by Russel Peters.**

**For USUK art and more frequent updates on this storiy's progress, follow me! theotherhappyone on tumblr!**


	2. Chapter 2

**AH! thanks for all the wonderful reviews you guys! I didn't expect this at all! I updated the cover picture into a stupid doodle I busted out at like 4 AM, but I found it amusing...So if I stay true to to my intentions, there should be a link to it on my profile by the time this is posted. You can check it out there. By the way, this wasn't edited so much as it was skimmed at 1 in the morning (my writing time? Yeah. I need to get back into school schedule soon) and I will edit it again later for qualities sake, but I figured I made you guys wait long enough already. Here you go!**

**Once again, I don't own Hetalia. (America pats my shoulder) "It's okay, if you owned me you would be too busy drawing me to actually do me." (tackles him)**

–

Alfred quickly scrambled out of the bed, but his body felt all jumbled and out of place. He ended up on the floor, but he had no clear idea as to how he got there. He rubbed his head again as the pain was renewed and let out a defeated groan.

"Ugggggh. What happened to me? Why are bunnies flying?" His body relaxed and he very suddenly lost the willpower to move. "How come I look like that pissy little Brit?"

"I think it worked!" The bunny's shrill voice responded, quickly followed by a chorus of high pitched giggles. More giggles then could belong to one bunny.

Alfred's eyes shot open and he sat up quickly, looking where the bunny had first appeared. Now there were several faeries and small floating creatures that sparkled unnaturally as they laughed.

Alfred didn't know what to do, so he scrambled into a sitting position, pressed himself up against the wall and screamed. The multiple flying creatures all screeched in panic and started flying around haphazardly, squealing things like "Why is he screaming?!", "It worked!, and "That's the American for sure!".

Alfred let out a wine and hugged his knees to his chest. He felt small and weak, he didn't know what was going on, and he didn't like it. He felt his face heat up and tears start to brim in his eyes. He didn't want to cry about this but he was just so confused!

Suddenly one of the curtains was torn open and the school nurse stood there. "Are you alright?" He looked confused when he saw Alfred on the floor. "Are you hurt?"

Alfred shook his head "I'm okay. What happened?" He tried in vain to pull his tears back before they slid down his face.

The nurse bent down in front of him and put a hand on his forehead. "Don't be scared Arthur, it's common to be alarmed when waking up from an accident like that. You're fine, nothing is broken, you just had a minor concussion, but you're fine now. Just in need of a little rest."

Alfred pushed his hand away. "Okay, thank you!" He said quickly. "P-Please leave me alone." He ran his hands through his now shorter hair.

The nurse paused for a moment then nodded and stood up. "I'll give you time to calm down."

Alfred nodded, looking at the floating creatures above the bed as the nurse left. "It's common to have head trauma after something like that. Your mind is just playing tricks on you." He mumbled. After a moment he looked back down at himself and pinched his arm. Nothing happened so he pinched it harder. "Oh who am I kidding, this is definitely real."

He reached around himself to feel his narrow shoulders. "I can't..." He looked up at the flying creatures and felt his mouth twitch. "How?" He whispered, running his hands across his chest then up his neck, feeling his soft cheeks, then onto his now large eyebrows. "Shit." He mumbled.

The green bunny hovered down to his level. "We knew there was something special about you! Arthur is special too, he can use magic! But he can't normally do things like _this."_

Alfred grit his teeth. "So you're saying he did this?" H stood up and took another look in the mirror. "I've had enough of that punk." He walked out of the curtained cubicle and spotted the nurse. "Hey, where is the other one?"

The nurse looked up from his papers and blinked. "The other one?"

"Yeah the kid that looks like me." He said, pointing to his face.

"Oh, yes him. He woke up before you and went back to class."

Alfred nodded. "Thanks." And left.

The other magical creatures started squeakily telling the bunny he was an idiot for mentioning Arthur, and some pursued Alfred as he stomped into the hallway. He didn't slow down as they told him to stop.

"Magic or not, if this is that idiot's fault I'm giving him a piece of my mind. And whatever this is, he'd better fix it. There is no way this school needs two of that prissy, arrogant, jerk." He muttered as he made his way down the corridor to his first period class where Arthur was. When he opened the door, he searched for the emerald eyes, but instead he found his own baby blue ones.

He stood in shock.

Though he knew he looked like Arthur now, he had never considered what had happened to his real body. Everything happened so fast, and his mind clicked. Everything made sense, it was in just like all the comic books he used to read. They had switched bodies.

"You bastard!" He yelled at his own body, which felt a little strange.

He watched himself look up from his work, surprised. "Alf-" He cut himself off. "Oh...you." He said hesitantly.

"Don't go pulling that on me you little..." He looked around and realized everybody was looking at him. But seeing as he was in Arthur's body, he couldn't bring himself to care all that much. He marched over to Arthur in his body. Thankfully, Alfred had chosen the front corner of the classroom to sit in, so it wasn't as awkward grabbing his body's arm and pulling him out the door. He was surprised that he didn't resist more as he dragged him a safe distance away and pinned him up to the wall.

"What did you do?" He growled.

He watched Arthur bite his lip. "I don't know. I didn't do this."

"Then who did?!" Alfred grabbed at the taller figures collar. He didn't feel nearly as intimidating as he wanted to now that he was shorter.

"I thought it had to be you. You're the one they said was 'special'." He scoffed. The door to their classroom opened and Arthur mumbled "Oh bollocks." before pulling Alfred up some more stairs and onto the roof.

Alfred didn't protest, though he hated hearing his own voice speak those disgustingly British words. "By them you mean those sparkly things and the bunny I saw earlier?"

Arthur blinked. "You can see them then?"

Alfred clenched his jaw. "Yes, I can see your imaginary friends."

"You should know now they're not imaginary." He shook his head. "Never mind that."

"How are you so freaking calm right now?!" Alfred yelled at him.

"Because I know how to fix it you bloody git!"

Alfred blinked. "You do?"

"Of course I do. Magic has basic laws, what kind of mage would I be if I didn't know how to reverse a simple spell?" Arthur rolled his eyes as if the answer had to be obvious.

Alfred clenched his jaw. "You seem to forget this crap isn't obvious to me. Tell me how we get back into our own bodies."

"Even though I don't know why, falling down the stairs was what did this to us. We repeat the event, reverse the spell. It's really quite simple."

His tone of voice pissed Alfred off. "Just because I'm not in on your magic world doesn't mean you have to talk to me like I'm an idiot." He mumbled. "Let's go fall down the stairs then." He said, walking toward the door.

As Alfred reached for the door, he felt the other grab his arm and pull. Alfred yelped, the tug was probably harder than it was meant to me. Alfred's body was clearly stronger than Arthur's and Arthur was throwing his new found strength around without a slight idea of how to control it.

"Ow, that hurt you jackass!" Alfred whined, prying his body's hand off of his arm.

"Well I'm terribly sorry." That was bull crap. "But We can't do it now, we need to wait until after school."

Alfred groaned in disappointment. "Are you kidding me? Why?" True he wasn't eager to go tumbling down a staircase, but he wanted nothing more than to be back in his own skin.

"We can't just go falling down stairs in the middle of school. What if we get knocked out again? I don't know about you, but my grades can't afford for me to be sent home with head trauma right now." Arthur said, folding his arms and looking down at his body. Alfred was one of the taller boys in the school, and Arthur was clearly drinking it up.

"But what good will class do us if we're not in our own classes? You can't go to your classes looking like me, I'm not on the roll and visa versa." Alfred scowled up at himself.

"We can teach each other things and take notes for each other until this is over. It' better than nothing okay?"

"Fine." Alfred mumbled. "I should probably go grab my bag from the nurses office."

"No I got both of ours." Arthur said shaking is head. "I couldn't really leave mine, but I couldn't have you walking around with the weird British kid's bag instead of your Superman backpack. People would ask questions."

Alfred sighed. "Fine, whatever." He said, running a hand through his hair, it felt strange since it wasn't his own, even if it was just hair. He didn't understand Arthur's logic, but he was glad he didn't have to run an errand to get his bag. "Let's just go back to class okay?"

"Right. My schedule is in the front of the white binder, everything is labeled with tabs so you shouldn't have a hard time. Please take good notes would you?" Arthur said as he opened the door.

"Yeah, yeah." Alfred said while waving his arm dismissively at his counterpart. "Same goes to you British dude."

"You say that as if it's an insult." Arthur grumbled as they walked back to their first class. "And you're going to have to act the part, idiot."

"Dude, I'm an actor." Alfred said with a chuckle, only considering for a moment how different it sounded. Maybe even a little sexy, he felt smug with that thought. "I'm pretty sure I can handle it."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Obviously not, since you keep talking like that. As long as you're in my body, you need to act like a proper English gentleman. That means no saying dude or any other part of your stupid American slang."

"Deal, I'll speak like a complete twat if you don't act like one while you're me." Alfred smugly ignored the glare Arthur shot him.

"But I'm acting like you, so that would be impossible. And I'm quite sure you don't know what twat means."

"Whatever, I just have to use it in the context you do and I'll be fine. Like I said, I'm an actor." Alfred replied as they reached the door.

"Good." Arthur opened the door and the whole class turned to look at them. The teacher glared and put his hands on his hips, giving them an expectant look. "Heh, sorry about that dude." Arthur said, scratching the back of his head, "It was kind of important."

He was good.

"Shut up git." Alfred sighed. "That was my fault and I'm sorry. I'll accept any punishment that comes with it." Not a problem.

The teacher just sighed. "Just take a seat would you? Any further interruptions will result in detention."

Both boys nodded, and shared a glare of warning before going to their assigned seats, Alfred grabbing Arthur's bag on his way.

And so it began.

–

Alfred found it a lot harder to focus then he had ever expected, especially after Arthur's imaginary friends showed up again. Even though the numbers had narrowed to two faeries and the green bunny, They were more distracting then anything else could be.

Except Arthur's skin apparently. Alfred caught himself rubbing his own cheeks and arms multiple times. A girl gave his a strange look in third period as he ran the pad of his thumb across his (unusually soft) lips multiple times. He also touched his eyebrows a few times in a peeved manner. Once he was lost in thought and when he snapped out of it, his fingers were all over in his hair and he was smelling the shoulder of his sleeve.

And then it happened.

"Shit, I have to go to the bathroom bad." Alfred mumbled to the rabbit (which was apparently titled Flying Mint Bunny) during lunch. After scolding himself for talking to Arthur's imaginary friends, he noticed he wasn't hungry at all. His eyes scanned the cafeteria and saw Arthur socializing with Alfred's group of friends. Damn he was good at acting, not even Gilbert seemed to suspect anything. He pondered what group of people Arthur usually hung out with, before he realized that nobody had talked to him in a friendly manner since he and Arthur had switched. Did he not have any friends? If not, serves hims right for being such a little snob.

Alfred felt a pang of guilt, but it wasn't stronger then the ache in his bladder. Despite having nothing to do during the break, Alfred held it in until he couldn't hold it anymore. He ran for the bathroom in the last ten minutes before class started. Even after that, he waited until he was sure the bathroom was empty before he went inside and entered a stall. Then he stood there awkwardly and was very sure his face couldn't get any more red before he made sure no magical creatures were hovering around him, and unzipped his pants.

_Why do I feel so awkward about this? We're both boys. _

He finished as quickly as he could and paced to the sink to wash his hands. He looked in the mirror at his red face and took in a deep breath. Just three more periods to go. He could do this.

He didn't see Arthur again until Productions Company. He made sure to sit still without rubbing his arms or face more than ever during the short lecture. Then the time came for rehearsal, the entire class moved to the large auditorium stage. Luckily, small group numbers weren't starting rehearsals until next week, they were still working on the ensemble pieces.

Musical theater had always been Alfred's weakness, he had been praised for his acting skills time and time again, but he had a very hard time hitting the right notes. He could carry a tune fine, However harmonizing was a different story. But whilst in Arthur's body, each note came out so perfectly he couldn't believe it. Dancing was more difficult as he was out of his regular place he had learned the steps in and his range of motion was different. On top of that, Arthur was a lot less flexible than Alfred. He found himself being yelled at by their director (or as many of the drama kids called her: Mama) a lot more then was normal. Not only was he not in his groove, but his shorter height brought him closer to the front of the group in their formation.

One thing on top of the other made the rehearsal very frustrating. Alfred couldn't help but feel a bit of satisfaction when he glanced back and noticed Arthur struggling to get used to dancing in his new skin as well. He laughed at the irony in that, as the song was entitled 'Gratifaction', written by the Sherman brothers for Tom Sawyer.**  
**

Alfred felt much more gratified after the rehearsal for the number was over than during it. By the time rehearsal got out, school had been finished for two hours. This was why Productions was the final period of the day, so they could take the time that was needed. And boy did they ever.

Alfred tiredly grabbed Arthur's bag after and headed to the stairs. This had very possibly been the worst day ever, and he was ready to get back into his own skin.

As he headed for the stairs, Arthur caught up to him easily with the use of Alfred's long strides. "Bloody hell that was awful." He mumbled. "How on earth do you control your limbs?" He added, rubbing his shoulder. "I think I dislocated something."

Alfred glared up at him. "Well I hope not because I'm the one who'll feel it when the stairs make it worse."

"Shut up. I'll be glad when I don't have to collaborate with you anymore."

"Me too." Alfred said plainly, but after walking in silence for a few steps he stopped. "Look Arthur, with Productions, and just High School in general, we cant keep avoiding each other. So we might as well try to get along."

Arthur stopped as well and looked down at Alfred's now green eyes. "I suppose you have a point. Though I'm not fond of you by any means, I am growing tired of this as well." He put his hands on his hips as a silence caught the air between them.

Alfred sighed and reached out his hand. "Truce?"

Arthur looked at it with a contemplating face. "Truce." He finally said, and took it.

They both let go and continued toward the stairs, walking in silence the rest of the way to the staircase.

Alfred stopped in front of it and rand his fingers through his hair. "Well I hope we don't get seriously injured this time." He mumbled.

"You're messing with my hair again." Arthur said flatly.

Alfred blushed. "Again?"

"By the looks of it, you could have been running your fingers through it all day." He crossed his arms with a smirk. "And I noticed you kept twirling it in your fingers during Productions Company."

Alfred rolled his eyes, but blushed because he had, in fact, been running his fingers through it all day. "It's a habit okay? I do it when I'm frustrated and your hair is shorter than mine so it sticks up funny." He crossed his arms with a huff.

"Well I'll certainly miss being tall, but I want to get back into my body. I still have no clue how you control your huge limbs."

"Well I realize now just how fast I'm used to walking. You move like a turtle."

"You move like an elephant."

Alfred frowned. "I thought we had a truce." He mumbled.

Arthur grinned. "You really need to learn to realize when somebody is teasing you."

"Same goes for you." Alfred said, smirking. "Teasing was what started us off on a sour note."

"I suppose so. But after taking a look at the notes you've taken in the past I wouldn't be surprised if you really _didn't_ know where the UK is."

"Shut up." Alfred said, and placed himself a few steps from the top. "This is about where you were right?"

"Yes, and you were right about here." He said, walking down a ways.

Alfred sighed and clenched his fists with a gulp. "Okay. Hit me."

Arthur didn't hesitate. He swung Alfred's backpack right into his stomach. Alfred let out a grunt of pain as he grabbed for it and stumbled backward, dragging his own large body with him.

They hit the bottom of the stairs with a heavy thud, and Alfred felt dizzy. Everything went black for a moment and then flashed back to reality.

He blinked a few times at the ceiling. He didn't _feel_ any different. A groan came from the weight on top of his legs and he blinked a few more times before bringing his hand to his head. He felt his messy, soft hair on top of his forehead and panicked for a moment. "Arthur are you okay?" He asked, looking down toward his legs. His face went pale. "Shit!"

His own body looked back up at his with blue eyes, full of confusion. "It didn't work? I...I don't understand." He scrambled to his knees then plopped down next to Alfred. "It was so simple. Was I wrong?"

He covered his mouth, staring wide eyed at the stairs, and Alfred grit his teeth. "No way!" He yelled and stood up. "Let's try again."

Arthur grabbed his hand to stop him. "No. That won't help. If that didn't do it then either the spell is different then I thought it was, or there was something else that triggered it."

"Something else? How are we supposed to know what else could have done it? Anything could have happened while we were passed out!" Alfred waved his hands through the air in a panic.

"Calm down." Arthur said quickly, and stood up. "I have to figure out what it was that triggered the switch." He said firmly. "Until then, we need to keep being each other."

"What, like go to each other's houses and stuff?"

"That's exactly what we need to do. I am not explaining to your parents what happened.

Alfred clenched his jaw, keeping from yelling that he didn't _have_ any parents to explain to. "I can't be you dude, I have stuff to do."

"Relax, I can do all your homework for the required classes we both take okay? I just need to do a little bit of research that's all."

Alfred felt his frustration flood through his fists, but he forced himself to calm down. At this point, he knew nothing about this. So all he could do was trust Arthur. "Okay fine. I'll help you." He said, glancing at his watch. "It's nearly 5:00." He muttered.

Alfred noticed Arthur pale a little bit. "I have to go home then." He said.

"Are you kidding me? How can you think of going home when we're stuck like this?"

"Normally I'm not in a hurry but...Look I can do it on my own okay? I'll just need to go home and grab some things first."

"Ugh. Fine, go home, I'm going to go take the longest nap ever." Alfred said, rubbing his face with a sigh.

When Alfred looked at Arthur again his face wore an expression of complete concern and pity. "Okay...But I would avoid my brother if I were you."

"Who?"

Arthur gulped. "Actually, maybe we should tell him that I'm sleeping over at your house...if that's okay with your parents." He mumbled as he rubbed his arm.

Alfred cocked an eyebrow. "You really don't want me to meet your family huh?"

"No...Just not my...You know what, you don't need to know okay? It's personal and I don't need you sticking your nose in it." Arthur spoke quickly.

Alfred put his hands up. "Fine, fine. You can sleep over."

Arthur blinked a few times as if he expected it to be harder. "Oh. Don't you need to ask your parents?"

"No, I live alone right now."

"...Oh."

–

**WOOHOO! Second chapter. Please review and such other things. I have been thinking pretty hard about evolving this story and it's conflicts. This is probably going to be really dramatic actually. I meant for it to be more fluffy and humorous, but it's not coming out that way. In fact I didn't think of this when I set the rating it would be for anything more then language and sexual themes but...it's gonna get intense. Buckle up guys. This is gonna be scary, but good.**

******For USUK art and more frequent updates on this storiy's progress, follow me! theotherhappyone on tumblr!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay all! Chapter three. I'm split between multiple ways I can run this story. So please be patient while I figure out exactly what I'm doing okay? By the way, I am trying to update as quickly as I can before school starts up again, but once it does, things will get slow seeing as just like Arthur and Alfred in this story, I'm in Productions Company. It is going to be very busy, but I'll try very hard!**

**I don't own Hetalia. (has recovered from this sad fact) **

**So it took me awhile to get started on this, I was on an amazing artistic streak and drew lot's of pictures. The best, I started coloring. While I was doing one of Pirate England and little America, my computer decided to shut down...Now I have to start over...But no way I'm doing it right away, so I write instead! But I got a happy picture of Cowboy!America done! There is a link on my profile. So proud of this picture, please check it! love you!**

–

The walk through the trees back to Alfred's neighborhood was awkward. Though they had just agreed to get along, people don't just summon fondness for each other out of thin air, even if Arthur really _was_ a mage. Plus, Alfred couldn't quite help himself from doubting the whole magic concept, body switch and magical creatures or not. Though it seemed pointless to doubt anything a this point.

Before going to Alfred's house they needed to stop by Arthur's so that his family knew where he was going, as well as to pick up a few books Arthur felt he would need.

"I still don't see why this is necessary, you seem way too nervous." Alfred said. "I'm happy to not have to act like I'm you over the weekend, but I'm sure I could handle it." At that point Alfred was just trying to get Arthur to tell him what it was he was hiding, but he had a theory that was hopeless.

"But why do it if you don't have to?" Arthur said back a little too quick.

Alfred shrugged his slim shoulders. "I suppose, but I don't see how having me around will help you get anything done."

"Shut up, I would feel uncomfortable alone in your house." Arthur said as they approached his front porch.

Alfred realized it really was just down the road from his own, and felt like an idiot for not noticing. Then again, he was stuck in his basement and when he did get out of it, all his friends lived on the other side of the school. If it weren't for the people he and his mom rented from inviting him places now and again, he probably wouldn't know anybody in the neighborhood. He tried to ignore the pity filled looks the family would give him when he accepted their invitations. He knew how they thought of him. The poor little orphaned boy who's mother doesn't love him. He told himself as often as he could that they were wrong.

"Okay, since you're me, William will expect you to do most of the talking." Arthur said, tearing Alfred away from his thoughts.

"Oh...What will he buy then?"

"Just say we have rehearsal in the morning and we want to memorize lines together tonight so we're ready. He's not picky about what I do but...He likes it better when I stay at home. You'll need to make it convincing." Arthur looked at the doorknob nervously.

Alfred nodded. "I've pretended to be you all day dude, I've got this." He said while reaching up to knock on the door.

Arthur grabbed his hand and pulled it away quickly. "What are you doing? You're me, this is my house, just walk in."

"Right." Alfred mumbled, feeling a bit silly. He opened the door and walked in announcing "I'm home."

He looked around the living room, the house was bigger then it seemed on the outside. Alfred, being used to his old tattered couch and small kitchen, was very surprised at just how new everything looked. For all he knew, it all could be new furniture considering Arthur said he had just moved in at the beginning of the summer. But not everything clicked in that manner. Everything looked perfectly organized and Alfred saw dust in places that hadn't been cleaned up for awhile.

As Alfred's eyes continued roaming, they were eventually met by two brilliant green ones, the same as Arthur's. He blinked a few times and took in the figure in front of him. A lean, tall man who was probably barely in his 20's was leaning on the door frame leading to the kitchen. He had short auburn hair and his eyebrows were only a little more tame then Arthur's were. He wore a dark blue shirt, featuring the Scottish flag across the front. He wore brown shorts and no shoes, and held a cigarette to his lips as he looked down at Alfred, inhabiting his younger brother's body. Alfred had no way of knowing at the time just how important the figure in front of him was in the life that was now his.

"You're late, little shit." The man (presumably William) said before breathing in some nicotine.

_That's some greeting. _Alfred thought as he opened his mouth to reply. "If I'm a _little_ shit, what does that make you?" He regretted the words the moment they came out of his mouth. Not only was he not sure Arthur would respond that way, but he didn't mean to smalltalk the person he might be stuck with for awhile if this didn't get fixed.

Arthur nudged him from behind and mumbled something Alfred couldn't make out. "Dude calm down." He said loud enough for William to hear. "Did I really piss you off that bad?" He looked toward his older brother. "He's been pissy all afternoon, don't mind him."

William ignored the comment and kept his eyes on Alfred. Alfred couldn't help but gulp nervously under his gaze. "Dad's not home tonight Iggs." He said in a matter of fact sort of way.

Alfred was glad he had let him off the hook so easily with the subject change. Arthur tensed behind him and Alfred picked up the hint as Arthur snickered and muttered "Iggs?"

William's gaze shot towards Arthur and he cocked his eyebrow but stayed silent.

"Don't call me Iggs." Alfred said quickly, hoping that's what Arthur was signaling with his response.

William glared at Arthur. "Who's four yes back there?" He said shortly, his eyes moving back to Alfred's expectantly. Alfred took note of his accent. It was British for sure, but it seemed more choppy.

"This is Alfred." Alfred said quickly while pointing to his own body. "We were paired together for a number in Productions Company."

William's expression didn't change. "So why is he here?" He said.

"We have rehearsal tomorrow morning and we need to have the music down by then and...I was thinking I could sleep over at his house so we don't get busted."

William cocked an eyebrow and Alfred wondered if he had said something out of character. William glanced toward the calendar hung on a magnetic board on the wall. "A rehearsal tomorrow morning isn't on the calendar." His voice was still unreadable.

"It was a last minute thing." Alfred said quickly. It happens in productions.

William nodded. "Okay that's fine." He said.

Alfred let out a sigh of relief. Was it really that easy? Why had Arthur seemed so worried?

"Why don't you sleep over here then?" Alfred's breath caught.

"I have a copy of the music on my computer, Arthur doesn't." Arthur said quickly.

William looked at them for a moment or two. "Fine, go gather your shit and get out of here then. Call me if there's a problem." He finally said.

Alfred's heart skipped a beat. "Thanks." He said as he turned abruptly and headed up the stairs before he realized he had no clue where he was going.

Luckily, Arthur trailed behind him and muttered, "Thank God that's over." behind him.

Alfred continued down the hallway before Arthur grabbed his shirt and stopped him. "This is my room." He whispered and opened the door.

Alfred pondered for a moment what Arthur's room would be like. British flags everywhere? Probably some downright creepy stuff, like shrunken heads and crystal balls. Boy was he wrong.

The entire room was painted a light green and there were posters on the walls. It seemed like a typical teenagers room besides the British flag bedspread. Arthur began rummaging through a large bookcase as Alfred observed some things. He noted the collection of stamps hung up on a large piece of card stock next to a red poster that read 'Keep calm and carry on' with a small crown printed on top. A few posters of British bands and Docter Who later, a dresser was topped with several small figurines. There was a miniature of the Tardis and a few Star Wars characters, but then Alfred laid eyes on the glass fairies sitting on flowers, and a small unicorn with a rainbow main. He snickered.

"What?" Arthur said, peeved as he turned around with a pile of books in his arms. When he saw what Alfred was looking at he blushed. "What? It's not...don't snoop around my room!" He said quickly.

"Dude it's hardy snooping." Alfred said with a grin. "They are in plain sight. If you're embarrassed about it, don't have them out in the open."

"I don't usually have guests...And I'm not embarrassed, they aren't even mine." Arthur mumbled while placing the pile of books on his bed and opening a backpack that looked old and worn, the British flag printed across it.

"Yeah sure." Alfred said with a sigh, tired of the conversation already.

"I don't need to explain myself to you." Arthur said. "Hand me that shirt hanging on the chair would you?"

Alfred turned and picked up the plain white t-shirt and spotted some gray sweats underneath them. "You want the sweats too?" Alfred asked.'

"Only if you want some pants to sleep in, these are for you." Arthur said flatly.

Alfred shrugged and threw both articles of clothing at the other. "I usually just sleep in my boxers." He said, running a hand through Arthur's short, soft hair again. "Sometimes a hoodie when it's cold."

Arthur's face turned red. "Not while you're in my body you wont.."

Alfred rolled his eyes. "What's the big deal? I told you I live alone, it's not like I'm staying decent for anybody. You're acting like it's an unforgivable sin or something."

"You Americans...it doesn't matter. As long as you're in my body I demand you stay covered." Arthur said, packing a few extra things before flinging the backpack over his shoulder.

"Whatever dude." Alfred said with a shrug before the heavy backpack was suddenly dropped on his shoulders. "Ah!"

"It would look strange if I were to carry your bag out of the house don't you think?" Arthur said with a smug grin.

"Yeah I guess." Alfred said with a huff, adjusting the straps around his shoulders. "Let's just get out of here okay?"

They headed out the door within a couple of minutes. William watched them leave from the kitchen. He was reaching the end of his cigarette, and had his feet up on the table. His piercing green eyes gazed at Alfred as he left, nearly a glare.

Alfred gulped as he headed out the door and closed it firmly behind him. After walking down the street for awhile he spoke. "Man I can see why you didn't want me over at your house, your brother is freaking scary."

"Oh you have no idea." Arthur said flatly, not bothering to look at Alfred when he spoke. "In the case you do end up in my body and have to stay at my house, stay away from him okay?"

Alfred peered up at his own blue eyes suspiciously. "You didn't have to tell me twice...So you have any other family members?"

"Yes, I have a father too, and a little brother, but he's still in Britain with mom." Arthur replied with a shrug, acting as if he didn't care for the subject.

"Oh, parents split up huh?" Alfred let out a sigh. "That must be hard."

Arthur shook his head. "No, Mum and Dad were never married, we all have different moms aside from Peter and me."

Alfred blinked a few times. "Well, not that I care or anything but, care to explain?"

Arthur met his gaze with his own. "No, I try to avoid story time if you don't mind. It's unnecessary and I'm not particularly close to you. I don't just go about talking about my past to strangers."

"Okay dude fine." Alfred put his hands in the air defensively. "I wasn't trying to pry, just curious."

"Well I'm curious as to why you live alone at 16 but you don't see me asking if your parents are dead or something." Arthur shot back quickly.

Alfred clenched his jaw and mumbled "Touche." before falling silent and running his fingers through Arthur's silky hair. Arthur had every right to keep his past to himself, Alfred knew what it was like to have total strangers pry about his past and current situation and it wasn't fun.

"Stop messing with my hair Alfred. It's weird."

"Shut up."

–

"This is your house?" Arthur asked, looking at the door at the bottom of the cement steps.

"Yup, My mom and I rent the basement apartment. It's not much but I survive." Alfred said with a shrug.

"Your mom too? I thought you said you live alone?" Arthur cocked his head to the side.

"I do." Alfred said. After a long silence he added. "The key is in your pocket."

Arthur blushed. "Right, I should have figured that." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small key on a red ribbon. It also had a key chain of the American flag attached to it. He handed it to Alfred, unwilling to unlock the door to a stranger's house.

Alfred snatched the key from him and unlocked the door and opened it. He tossed Arthur's backpack and book bag on his old worn couch and yawned. "Come on." He said to Arthur, stretching backward to pop his back.

Arthur followed behind him and dropped Alfred's superman backpack on the small folding kitchen table while taking in his surroundings.

Alfred watched his gaze pause at the peeling paint and worn sofa. Alfred's blanket was jumbled and half falling off of the sofa, his pillow already had. His cheap old laptop was on the counter, it looked like it was from 2003 and purchased off of eBay...because it was.

"What dude? Sorry my crib isn't as pristine as yours, I have to make due y'know?" Alfred said as Arthur's brow furrowed.

"Yes I understand, it's just not what I expected." Arthur replied with a sheepish grin.

"What _did_ you expect?" Alfred asked.

"Oh I don't know." Arthur said with a shrug. "Superhero posters, some porn maybe? Living the life of a bachelor I suppose? I got the dirty part right though." He finished, scratching his head.

Alfred shrugged. "I don't have the dough for a bunch of decorations. And even if I did, it wouldn't be porn." He turned toward the fridge and opened it, scanning the shelves. There wasn't much. "Dude I'm starving...And I need to get some groceries tomorrow." He looked up at Arthur. "You hungry?" He asked.

Arthur shrugged, being a little over-casual. "Sure." He said.

Alfred smiled. "You're in _my_ body dude, I _know_ you're hungry. I'm always hungry." He scanned the shelves again as if he hoped something new to eat had spontaneously appeared. He gave up and closed it with a sigh. "I'll make something, you get going on figuring out how to get us back to normal."

Arthur nodded. "Okay." He said as he sat down at the table and spread the books in front of him.

Alfred proceeded to make what he called 'pizza sandwiches' in silence. Every now and then he would glance back at Arthur who seemed completely fixated on his research. He caught himself rubbing his forearm against his lips a few times but quickly stopped and looked at Arthur to make sure he hadn't seen. He still wasn't used to the things he would suddenly do in this body, everything felt different.

A few minutes later, Alfred pulled the sandwiches out of the microwave and walked over to Arthur, sitting next to him and pushing him a plate. "Hows it coming?" He asked.

Arthur let out a long sigh. "Nothing so far. No matter how many different spells I look at, all the possibilities would have been fixed by falling down the stairs."

Alfred's heart sunk as he took a bite of his sandwich. "Right. What about that other thing you mentioned though? Something else triggered it?" He didn't bother about not talking with his mouth full.

Arthur only took moment to be peeved at Alfred's lack of manners before he let out a long sigh. "If that's the case then I just need to think. Books can't help us if we don't know what triggered the change."

"So..." Alfred trailed off, not sure what he was going to say.

Arthur took a long breath then let it out. "I'm going to look at a few other possibilities." He said before hunching over another book and flipping through some pages.

Alfred opened his mouth to say something but decided against it. Two pizza sandwiches, one glass of water, and a couple awkward silences later, Arthur slammed a book shut and let out a frustrated groan. "There's nothing else I can think of!" He said before slamming his face down on the pile of old smelling books and letting out a deep sigh.

Alfred was a bit startled by his sudden outburst but recovered quickly. "So...I take it the trigger was the problem?" He asked. That was a stupid question that he already knew the answer to.

"Yes. I just wasted a whole lot of time and I still have no idea what else it could have been." He peeked up at Alfred and sighed.

Alfred blinked a few times then sighed. "Well that sucks...Maybe you just need a break, cool your head a little?" Alfred shrugged. "Too much reading can kill your ability to think clearly."

Arthur's lips curled in a small smile. "That seems like it's be the opposite...But a break doesn't sound bad."

Alfred nodded. "Why don't we watch a movie or something? Movies always give me good ideas."

Arthur chuckled and sat up straight, closing the many books and putting them back in his bag. "American films are all the same, and the acting is awful."

"Hey." Alfred said flatly. "You don't have to be like that."

Arthur sighed. "Fine we'll watch a movie, but it's late, I think before then we should get ready for bed."

Alfred bushed. "What? Already? Its not _that_ late." His mind flooded with thoughts of how awkward I had been going to the bathroom in another dude's body. It had to be worse to undress and get ready for bed.

"It will be by the time the movie is over." He observed Alfred's face for a moment then looked away. "Look, we're both boys, it's not a big deal okay?"

Alfred nodded. "Yeah you're right." He paused then stood up. "Just don't look in the mirror like some creeper okay?"

Arthur blushed. "Of course not idiot!" He said quickly.

Alfred dug out the T-shirt and sweats he had packed and went into his room. There was no mirror in his room since he always just used the one in the bathroom. He didn't use this room for much since his bed was the couch, but...wait a sec...He hadn't thought of where he and Arthur would be sleeping. Shit.

He quickly changed, looking straight at the walls and thinking all the while where there was room to fit an extra body. He slept on the floor every now and again when his mom was home. That would do fine, there was plenty of room on the floor in his room with his clothes and everything else. He didn't know why he had freaked out so much, it was obvious.

He let out a long breath and grabbed a pair of gym shorts and a T-shirt for Arthur to wear before kicking his old clothes into the corner by the dresser. "Calm down, you're being stupid. You never thought weird stuff like this before the body switch...So maybe it's the stupid Brit's body making you be weird." He mumbled to himself as he left the room.

He threw the clothes at Arthur. "I'll pick out a couple movies, you get changed."

Arthur pulled the T-shirt off his face to look at Alfred. "Fine. But don't pick anything stupid." He said, standing and leaving.

Alfred sighed and pulled a shoebox out from under the couch filled with DVDs. He hadn't watched most of them. The video store next to Gilbert's house was going out of business, so he had bought a lot of movies that caught his eye. Most of them were horror films, and the rest were chick flicks due to his mothers prefrence...And Alfred would never admit that he enjoyed the occasional cheesy love story every once in awhile, but he wasn't going to let Arthur know that, so he dug out a few horror movies he hadn't seen and a copy of an old batman film from the 90's (one of his favorites). He hid the other movies under the sofa and spread their options on the table next to his laptop. He observed the selection while turning on his old computer. The selection looked manly enough, he was okay with this. Though he couldn't help but wonder why he felt the need to control the way Arthur thought of him. Probably mental effects from being in his body.

In all honesty, Alfred wasn't sure why he had chosen the movies he did. He watched horror films with his friends all the time, but he was scared to death of them. Now and then he would question why he made himself watch them, but in the end he felt like a wuss if he refused so he lived through it.

Arthur loomed over his shoulder suddenly. "I take it you like scary movies."

Alfred jolted in surprise. "Dude you came out of nowhere!"

"Or maybe you're just dense, it's impossible to be quiet in this body." Arthur mumbled before sitting on the couch. "I've been thinking if something could have happened when we were unconscious. We would have to ask the nurse."

Alfred sighed "We can't wait until then, we have to try other stuff before we go back to school on Monday. I'm not sure how much more of this I can take." He looked out the window at the sky that was lit with the last rays of twilight.

"We can agree on that. I don't think it's a good idea for either of us to be hanging around in each other's lives." Arthur scratched the back of his neck. "But I just can't think of anything else that could have happened..."

Alfred sighed. "Should we experiment then? Before starting the movie that is."

Arthur shrugged. "What do you suggest we try?"

Alfred thought for a moment before saying "Well first thing after falling down the stairs, we would have been laying at the bottom. Maybe it was our positions? Or maybe when I hit you in the stomach you cast a spell."

Arthur chuckled. "That's not how magic works. I could make mistakes while casting spells but they don't cast themselves."

"Then how did this one happen?" Alfred said, putting his hands on his hips.

"Special abilities. Some people are born with magic inside of them and when those abilities meet, strange things can happen." He said with a shrug. "The fairies _did_ tell me you were special."

"Right...Faeries." Alfred sighed. This was hopeless. He hadn't even seen the magical creatures since he fell down the stairs in an attempt to change back. "Well if I'm _special,_ then how did our._...specialness_ meet?"

Arthur shrugged. "Physical contact is the most common way, but it can vary depending on the _specialness,_ as you put it."

Alfred typed his password into his computer as he pondered that possibility. "Well, then shouldn't we have changed back when you were on top of me at the bottom of the stairs?"

Arthur sighed and pushed his bangs back. "I have no idea anymore. Maybe it needs to be more specific. But the possibilities of how were were laying at the bottom of the stairs are endless."

Alfred held an air bubble in his cheeks and closed his eyes. "Then lets narrow those down and try a few out, at least we know it was touch."

"But we _don't_ know that. It's a theory, very likely, but not guaranteed." Arthur crossed his arms with a huff.

Alfred glared at him "Well it's better then nothing, and if we don't try stuff we won't get anywhere." He shoved some of the movies to his body's chest. "Pick one." He mumbled before slumping onto the couch next to Arthur and hugging a pillow to his stomach.

Arthur let out a defeated sigh and looked at the selections. "Let's do this one, it looks at least half way decent." He held out a horror film to Alfred.

Alfred nodded a bit nervously. He hadn't seen this one even though he had bought it a few years back, for the exact reason it looked like it was scary as hell. "Okay." He wondered if he responded a little too quickly as he put the DVD in his computer's disc drive. "Let's watch it..." He pressed play on the menu and sat back on the couch, hugging the pillow again and turning off the light.

_Please don't piss yourself Alfred._

–

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Alfred wasn't sure if the higher pitched squeal had come from him or the girl in the movie who was being attacked.

"Calm down you git." Arthur said, though he clung to Alfred just as much as Alfred clung to him at this point. "It's not even scary."

Actions speak louder then words though. Both boys were clinging to each other in the middle of the couch, Alfred's legs wrapped around his former body's hips and Arthur holding his counterpart's arms tightly. Both their eyes were glued to the screen as the credits began rolling.

"H...holy shit that was the scariest thing I've ever watched." Alfred stuttered, his whole body was tense.

"That was...m...more intense then anything." Arthur responded quickly. "It wasn't that scary so man up." But he still didn't let go.

They sat in silence in each other's arms before Alfred quickly broke free of the embrace, scrambling for the light switch. After the room was lit he clutched the pillow to his stomach again. "Dude...How can you say that? It was awful. That monster was freaking scary."

Arthur looked away. "I've seen scarier things, it wasn't the monster that was scary to me. It was the fact that they were defenseless against it."

"Dude there is no way you've seen something scarier then that in real life." Alfred sad that to reassure himself a little, because obviously these things weren't real.

"I have though. Faeries and unicorns aren't the only things I see that other people can't. There are some scary things in this world people don't even know about. That's my ability, or my... _specialness_ I guess." He trailed off.

Alfred hugged the pillow tighter. "You're not helping!" He said loudly, shaking his head vigorously. "I don't need to know shit like that is real! I live alone remember? You jerk!"

Arthur blushed. "Well I'm sorry. Listen, they can't do much to you besides make you feel funny if you can't see them, so calm down."

"But I _can_ see them now!" Alfred cried. "I saw your little sparkly friends why would scary stuff be different?!"

Arthur tensed. "Right...I forgot." He sighed. "It's okay, I haven't really seen any since I got to America. A few ghosts maybe but ghosts don't hurt people they just sort of float."

Alfred said nothing, he just kept trembling and whimpering softly. "Just stop." He said after a long silence. That was probably the worst thing Arthur could have said. Alfred had a very strong phobia of ghosts. He knew it was stupid, but he had it nonetheless, but he couldn't let Arthur know he was scared to death of things that couldn't even touch him. It was then he realized he was acting like a wimp and felt stupid.

Arthur sighed. "Let's just go to sleep okay? You'll be fine, if something was hanging around your house you would have seen it by now."

Alfred nodded, wishing he didn't look as pathetic as he did.

Arthur pressed his lips together and closed his eyes. "You're really troublesome aren't you?" When no answer came he just sighed and closed the laptop then reached over Alfred's head to turn off the light.

Alfred whimpered and opened his mouth to say something but before he could, Arthur stretched out his legs behind him and laid back on the pillow, grabbing Alfred's head and pulling him down onto his own chest. "Relax, I'll protect you alright?"

Alfred felt his face get hot and whimpered a little "What the hell are you doing?"

Arthur sighed. "This is what my mom used to do when I saw monsters...Maybe it's strange but it always helped."

Alfred blinked a few times in the darkness. Come to think of it he did feel a bit better. After a few minutes he put his legs up on the couch and pulled his blanket up over himself. Arthur's arms settled around him. His mother had never done this sort of thing, and it felt really nice and strangely comforting to have a pair of arms wrapped tightly around him.

"My mom never did this." He mumbled.

Arthur sighed. "Right, you live alone...That must have...been really hard." He said hesitantly.

Alfred gulped and relaxed into the small space between his own large body and the back of the couch. "...Not really."

That was complete bulk and they both knew it. But neither of them said anything more as they drifted slowly into a world of sleep.

–

**Yay! This one was longer and I actually was going to have this chapter encompass more but the next logical stopping point would have left the scroll bar tiny and stuff. So here we are. Yes William is Scotland, Yes he is an important character, yes it has come to my attention his name is supposed to be Alister, but I first knew his as William and since chapters are already out with his name as William, I'm not gonna change it. So I love you all. Please review! It makes me feel good inside :) I'd love to hear your guesses as to what I've foreshadowed in this chapter ;) Oh, and suggestions are good too! I'm always looking for cute quotes and inside knowledge to make references to for fandoms sake so if you have a cute quote, please shoot me a PM!**

******For USUK art and more frequent updates on this storiy's progress, follow me! theotherhappyone on tumblr!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey everybody. I have officially started school so...blegh. I suppose it's safe to say this request fic has gotten a little out of handish crazy...I will try to put in more humor and maybe a tad bit less drama...except they ARE drama kids...huh...i promise it will get lighter after (spoiler deleted). But there ARE going to be darker conflicts as it moves. I will still try to keep it more lighthearted though. Try. Have mercy upon me. **

**Hetalia...I don't own it. Moving on.**

–

The air tickling behind Alfred's ear woke him before his headache did. He grunted and instinctively reached up to swipe at the place that tickled, but he felt nothing. After a moment he moved his hand back, still not opening is eyes, and let out a sigh. He tried to go back to sleep but a sudden pain in his head made him groan and press his nose against his sofa. The cushion inflated beneath him, then lowered, allowing him to relax.

Wait a second...

Alfred's eyes shot open and he flung his arms in the air to grab the arm of his sofa, but instead his hands hit something solid and prickly.

"Ow! Bollocks, what was that for?!"

Alfred effectively fell off the couch and looked up at Arthur in a panic. After laying eyes on his own body, his hand rubbing his nose, the memories from the previous day came flooding back and he groaned, collapsing back onto the floor. "Damn." He mumbled.

Arthur sat up and rubbed the crust away from his eyes. "Wanker, you didn't forget did you?" He asked before yawning.

Alfred kicked his blanket away from his legs with a grumble and rolled onto his stomach. "Of course not...I was just hoping it had all been a dream."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Are you always that violent when you wake up? I pity the woman you marry."

Alfred grit his teeth. "Shut up, and don't go comparing yourself to whoever I end up with. With any luck I'll get a girl the opposite of you." Arthur mumbled something Alfred couldn't make out before he pushed himself up off the ground. "Wait...why was I on top of you?"

Arthur was quiet before Alfred looked at him with a glare and anger twitched at his facial features. "You were scared to death and I felt sorry for your pathetic arse, don't look at me like I'm some creep."

"Whatever." Alfred looked away. "That was a one time thing okay? Any other circumstance and I would have punched you."

"Oh never mind." Arthur threw Alfred's pillow at him. "I don't care what you think. We're both up so lets try to get out of each other's hair shall we?"

Alfred moved the pillow away and ran his finger's thorough Arthur's hair, messy with sleep. "I'd like that."

Arthur stood up and walked toward the kitchen. "Well we broke that truce fast. You're so temperamental I see no point in even trying to get along with you." He mumbled.

There was a long silence before Alfred sighed. "I'm sorry." The strangest thing was it sounded more sincere then he meant it to. "We're both being idiots and there is no point in fighting."

"Exactly." Arthur said flatly. "Now, I thought of everything I could last night so why don't you try to come up with some ideas while I make breakfast." He opened the fridge and peered in, not making eye contact with the other.

Alfred stood, fully awake by now, and sat at the table. "I don't know anything about magic. What do you expect me to do?"

Arthur sighed, taking some eggs from the fridge and closing it. "Well my knowledge hasn't gotten us anywhere, so maybe what we need is somebody to dissect the details of the event who doesn't know enough to take things for granted."

Alfred didn't understand the Englishman's reasoning, but he was now making an effort to not start up any more conflicts between them. Though he knew his teasing and overreaction to almost everything was the main issue, he grew tired of it.

"Fine. Lets dissect it then." Alfred pushed himself up off the floor and sat at the small table. "Maybe the key is in the details." After receiving no answer he sighed. "Basil is in the cupboard over your head."

Arthur looked back at Alfred with confused eyes. "Basil? Why would I use basil in eggs?"

Alfred blushed. "Is that not normal? I always put basil in my eggs, or at least when I scramble them."

Arthur looked at the skillet he was holding and cracked an egg in. "I've never tried it before, but I can make them that way if you want me to."

Alfred cocked an eyebrow. "Well if you're going to scramble them you should mix the eggs with a little water and salt before putting them in the pan." Arthur's broad shoulder's tensed noticeably. "And did you use cooking spray on that?"

Arthur turned around quickly with a red face. "I know how to make eggs thank you, why don't you focus on how to switch back?" He quickly spun back to the stove and turned it on with a heavy exhale.

"Fine fine, calm down, yeesh." Alfred breathed quietly while resting his chin on his hand. He tried to think on the event but couldn't stop himself from glancing at Arthur's attempt at scrambled eggs. He highly doubted Arthur knew what he was doing bu tried to ignore him to think about the event step by step.

Arthur had been on the stairs doing something on his phone. Alfred brushed past him with his shoulder. They argued, Alfred turned, they both fell...that was it? There had to be something more. Maybe what Arthur was doing on his phone?

Alfred's thoughts left him when he met the smell of burning and heard several curse words. He stood up quickly and toward the stove. There was no smoke, which didn't seem right with the smell, but he approached the stove nonetheless. "What the hell did you do?"

Arthur turned and shoved a plate with greenish chunks of crusty scrambled eggs at him. "Shut up, just eat." He said, his face noticeably red.

Alfred paled as he looked down at it, then his eyes flicked to the stove where the crusty skillet lay. Burnt egg stuck to the base of it. His eye twitched a little, annoyance crept up through his spine, but he didn't feel angry at all. "Arthur...If you didn't know how to cook you shouldn't have offered."

"I know how to cook! Your shitty basil idea threw me off and your stove top is too hot!"

"You didn't even spray the pan dude." Alfred said with a sigh before putting the dish on the counter and turning off the stove. He took the hot skillet to the sink and filled it's basin with warm water to soak the gunk off the bottom. "Whatever, I'm too tired to do this anymore. But I'm cooking next time."

"With any luck there won't be a next time." Arthur grumbled.

Alfred cleared his throat. "Whatever." He dried his hands on his shirt before picking the plate back up. "Well it at least looks edible so let's get back to business." He sat down, and forced the annoyance away.

"Right." There was a long silence. "What did you come up with then?"

"Well, lets dissect the details, what were you doing on your phone before I passed you?"

Another pause. "Reading a text from William."

"Nothing special huh? Unless...this specialness thing, is it genetic?"

"What?...Sometimes but my brother can't use magic if that's what you're getting at." Arthur folded his arms tightly over his chest.

Alfred sighed. "I really thought he was responsible for a second, he doesn't seem to like you that much. And I don't know much about family but he seems to be the type that likes cruel jokes." He gagged as he took a bite of his eggs. They were more crunchy then any egg should be and there was way too much basil. He swallowed it with the help of some water before looking back to Arthur who was looking back at him but not at his face, at his stomach. Alfred cocked an eyebrow. "Dude?"

"I think you're jumping to conclusions a little bit."

Alfred scratched the back of his head. "Don't take offense dude, he just gave me the vibe of a cruel motherfucker."

"That's a cruel judgment to make."

"I didn't say it was true man, first impressions can be wrong. I was just saying."

"Can we stop talking about him?"

Alfred paused. "Yeesh, Touchy. Fine. But one more thing." Arthur grunted in acknowledgment. "Does William know about _your...specialness?"_

"No."

"Okay." Alfred scraped his supposed egg around his plate in a contemplating manner. "I just thought if he knew something about magic he might be able to help us."

"Even if he did he wouldn't help."

"So he _is_ a cruel motherfucker."

Arthur suddenly slammed his hands onto the table. "Shut up! You obviously don't know shit about family!" He yelled.

Alfred was surprised by this. Where had that come from? He felt anger twitch at his features but as much as he hated to admit it, his heart felt empty at his words. "I already said that _Iggs." _

Arthur looked at him with narrow eyes. "Don't you st-"

"You don't have to rub it in okay?!" Alfred cut him off. "I'm _so_ sorry I don't get regular family relations since I don't _have_ one. You have clearly been victimized by _my_ inability to read everything about your brother from our one meeting!" Sarcasm dripped from his words.

Arthur went quiet and he stared at Alfred with wide eyes.

Silence.

Alfred looked away. He felt slightly embarrassed at his outburst. "We just love fighting don't we?" He muttered.

"I'm sorry." Arthur said quickly. "I spoke without thinking."

"Hell yeah you did." Alfred spat.

"look I apologized. Let's try to stop being cross alright?" Arthur gulped and looked away. "Also, sorry about your pan. I just...I didn't know what I was doing, I just didn't want you to think I was stupid."

A grin tugged at Alfred's lips. "Mission impossible."

Arthur sighed. "Yes it was a silly thought. I seem to have achieved quite the opposite."

"Nothing a good soak n' scrape can't fix." Alfred sighed. "We really can't stop clashing can we? Nothing will get done if we keep doing this."

"Agreed. I'm beginning to think there is nothing we can do to reverse this."

Alfred's stomach lurched. "R-really?"

"I think it has a time limit and we just need to wait it out. But with spells like this there is usually a way to speed up the process."

Alfred let out a sigh of relief. "Okay, what can we do then?"

Arthur scratched the side of his head and looked away. "This is a wild guess but maybe...get along?"

Alfred blinked. "What, like Freaky Friday or something?"

Arthur's blue eyes closed. "I don't know what that is, but I suppose if it helps you understand, yes. It should wear off on it's own though, speeding up the process is just a theory."

Alfred sighed. "There are a lot of theories in magic huh?"

"More than science."

Alfred leaned back in his chair. "How long until it wears off?"

"I don't know. But we should stay close to each other as often as we can just in case it happens without warning." Arthur finally opened his eyes. "We can't mess up our acting in the mean time though."

"Well...If I'm going to be pretending to be you for who knows how long, I need to know a little more about you than I do."

Arthur sighed. "Right. I've been avoiding that."

"I could tell." Alfred sighed and forced down another bite. "It seems pretty important that we get along now okay? So let's just...talk."

"Agreed. If one is to play a character they should know everything about that character they know about themselves."

Alfred blushed. "I don't really want you knowing everything about me."

"Oh please, There is nobody I need to act for."

"Landlords actually. They pry into things more than you would think."

"Okay fine, I don't want to either but we don't really have a choice."

Alfred stood up. "Sounds good. But I really don't want to stay in here all day. Let's get dressed and hang out somewhere else." He stretched his arms and picked up the bag Arthur had brought from his house. "First step to being friends is acting like it right?"

"...Right."

–

"Holy shit!"

Alfred's eyes went wide. It was hard to miss the huge bruise that stained Arthur's stomach. It exploded into vision the second Alfred peeled off his T-shirt. Alfred hadn't seen it when he was changing before because there was no mirror, but how had he not felt it?! Looking again, it was not the only one, fresh bruises covered his arms and shoulders. Those made sense after falling down the stairs twice the previous day, but the one on his stomach was huge.

"Ah, yes, that." Arthur said from the open doorway. "I was wondering if you would ask about it.

Alfred stuttered for a moment. "Yeah dude, what the hell did you _do_ to yourself?!"

Arthur only took a moment to shrug before saying, "You saw the low banister at my house right? I tripped and fell on the mat in the living room. I ran into it and my stomach got the hardest blow."

"That makes sense I guess, but the weird thing is that I didn't feel it before now."

"That's because I put a spell on it so it wouldn't hurt during school. It should wear off by tonight though." Arthur said with a shrug. "But you aren't looking so well yourself, unlike you I can actually _feel _where you hit the stairs yesterday."

Alfred made a unpleasant face. "Gross, how bad?"

Arthur shrugged. "Feels like it's mainly on your stomach, it appears I've got some bad ones on my back though."

Alfred reached over to his body and lifted his shirt without thinking to asses the damage.

Arthur blushed. "Hold on a moment!"

"What? It's my body. It's not like I'm violating you." Alfred said with a roll of his eyes. There was a large bruise on his lower stomach. "Ouch. I'm gonna feel that one when we switch."

"If."

"Don't be such a pessimist."

"Shut up."

"Be nice."

"Wanker."

"Fagot."

"So what?"

Alfred blinked up at him. "Say what?"

Arthur suddenly brought a hand up to cover his face. "Stupid." He muttered.

"Dude are you gay?" Alfred said without thinking.

Arthur sighed. "Well...no sense in hiding it now." He took his hand away from his face and shrugged. "Yes I am attracted to men." Alfred noticed he wasn't making eye contact. "So what?"

Alfred was silent. "Oh."

"Are you disgusted then?" their eyes met again. "It's who I am. There is a part of your actors homework for you."

Alfred straightened up. "N-no, I'm not grossed out or anything, who am I to judge? I just didn't expect it that's all."

Arthur blinked. "You're not?"

Alfred shook his head. "No way dude. Why would you be any less human just cause you don't like chicks?"

"Oh..." Arthur blinked a few times and hesitantly scratched the back of his head. "Well, I like girls too...but...I guess a lot of people don't take it so easily, especially other boys."

"So you're Bi?"

Arthur nodded. "I suppose. But I have only ever had a meaningful relationship with girls. It's one thing to find other boys pleasing to look at but...it's another to actually be attracted to them."

"Right, like I checking out a girl and thinking 'I'd tap that' is different then wanting to ask her out or a relationship or something."

Arthur nodded awkwardly. "Yes, just like that I suppose."

Alfred smiled and pat Arthur on the shoulder. "We're all pretty excepting in the world you stepped into. Nobody in productions would shun you, I mean, Feliciano is gay and we all love him."

Arthur blinked. "Is he? And openly? But I haven't heard anything about it before now."

"His boyfriend is a senior from a different high school and he doesn't like forcing the subject into conversations. Ludwig doesn't really come up since he doesn't go to our school."

"I see." Arthur said after a moment. "Well, I still don't want to be public with it, no matter how excepting the company is. I don't want my sexuality to define me."

Alfred smiled. "Don't worry dude, your secret is safe with me." He said with a wink.

"Right." A smile tugged at the other's lips. "Let's go then."

–

The morning air was chilly and the two boys could smell the rain on the ground from the previous night.

"Been getting a lot of rain lately haven't we?" Alfred said coolly, looking at the cloudy sky.

"Are we really so awkward with each other we are reduced to the weather the moment we step outside?" Arthur said back with a cocked eyebrow.

Alfred pouted. "I was just saying. Whatever, we should leave the neighborhood so William doesn't see us and figure out we lied about rehearsal."

"Fine, trees then."

After walking through the thick forest behind their neighborhood for a time, Arthur broke their silence. "So. You live alone."

"Right, getting to know our new lives." Alfred sighed. "Well, let's start from the beginning then. My mom had me when she was fourteen."

"Fourteen?!"

"Yeah from what her friends have told me she's always slept around since the moment she got a boyfriend in the seventh grade. The second she had the ability to have kids it happened. She was pregnant with me before she even had her first period apparently."

"I'm glad men don't have those."

"You and me both. Anyway her parents were really mad, they didn't know she was sexually active before then. They didn't even know she had a boyfriend, much less one that was seventeen."

"That sounds a bit like a manipulative relationship doesn't it?" Arthur muttered.

Alfred shrugged. "Probably, but mom said she loved him more than anything. He was really excited about the pregnancy actually, he wanted a kid but she didn't. Her parents were going to pay for an abortion and she was all for it."

"But...you're here so...was she too far along to have it done?" Arthur's tone was a bit more solemn now and Alfred felt appreciative at that. It was strange to think that his mother was really going to kill him before he was born but it was in the past now.

"No. A few days before she was scheduled, Dad got in a car accident and died, after that she decided to keep me even though her parents didn't want her to. She was into ancient history and stuff so she named me Alfred, like Alfred the Great or whatever. My middle name is for my Dad. I was born on July 4th and her parents tried to get her to put me up for adoption but she refused so they disowned her and she lived with her best friend." He stopped walking and held his arms out to his sides as if feeling the air with a grin. "So here I am, Alfred F. Jones." Alfred paused and looked down at his slender frame and touched his large eyebrows. "Well...Sort of..."

Arthur stopped as well and looked at him with wide eyes. After a long silence he smiled too. "So whats the F for?"

"Frederick, its Teutonic and it means 'king of peace'. Jealous?" He said with a grin.

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Arthur, it's Scottish and it means 'Noble Strength' or 'Bear'. I think that's a little better."

"Yeah but I'm a king."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "You're a git, that's what you are."

Alfred chuckled and they continued walking. "Well anyways. My mom barely made it through high school. She graduated when I was four and her grades were too low to be accepted into college, but she moved out and got a job in the closest town. She could only keep it up for so long though, and our lack of money had us living in a sketchy neighborhood. The neighbors were really nice and watched me when she was gone. But soon she got a boyfriend and he watched me most of the time after he moved in. But mom didn't love him, she was using him really, but I can't really blame her. She needed somebody to take care of me..." He stopped again.

"But he wasn't right in the head. They were together for 2 years and I was eight when he figured out he was being used and mom was seeing somebody else who reminded her of dad." another long silence. "He was really angry. Like I said, he wasn't stable, and he pointed a gun at me over it."

Arthur's eyes went wide. "What?"

Alfred closed his eyes. "He had me in the corner for a good 3 hours until mom got home. He threatened to shoot me, and everything was blurry. I can't remember what he said to her, but thinking back, I think he just couldn't make up his mind about whether or not he really wanted to do it. Mom tried to talk sense into him but he wouldn't hear it. So he shot me and then himself. He only grazed my shoulder, but he didn't miss his head."

There was another very long silence until Arthur broke it. "Wow...I can't even imagine."

Alfred shook his head quickly as if to dispel the memories form his head. "I was fine, mom was fine. It wasn't a big deal, but after that we moved to a smaller neighborhood that mom felt was safer. That's where we live now, been here nearly eight years. After that mom turned to prostitution in order to take care of me. She started drinking, and by the time I turned 13 she was gone all evening and night. When I was 14 she stopped coming home every day and I saw her on Fridays and Saturdays. Last year she stopped having a pattern. She would be gone for weeks at a time and come home for a few days. She sent me money for food and stuff in the mail, and sent stuff for bills to the landlords so I didn't have to worry about that. But that was a sucky year. Grades sucked, everything really, but by now I'm used to it."

Alfred looked up from the dirt, he hadn't realized he was looking down. "As of now I haven't seen her since the end of July so...I've gotten pretty good at living on my own."

There was silence for a long time before Alfred looked up at his own face. Arthur had pulled up the sleeves of Alfred's bomber jacket and was examining his wrists. And the scars on them.

Alfred looked away. "I was hoping you wouldn't notice...those were from last year, like I said, it sucked...But it's not a problem anymore."

"You don't seem like the type so I let it go. When I saw them I wasn't wearing your glasses so I ignored it and blamed your awful vision." He sighed and tugged the sleeves back over his hands. "It was a silly notion I suppose, but the scars make sense now."

Alfred sighed. "Yeah...it was a dark time...I didn't intend to spill quite as much as I did but...I donno, this is the first time I've really _talked_ to anybody about it. Gilbert knows there was some rough stuff but I never told him about anything about before I moved here."

"Opening Your Pandora's Box on me are you?" Arthur smiled at him, but his eyes were sad.

"Um, I'm not sure what that means." Alfred said, trying to lighten the mood.

"It's an acting term. I'm sure you know it, it's a metaphor for the things you keep hidden from everybody. Those really hard things that you need to tap into to understand a character's emotion and use it on stage."

"Ooooooh, like your bottom drawer?"

"Is that what you call it here?" Arthur asked, blinking. "Suddenly a couple conversations I've heard make a lot more sense."

Alfred laughed. "Yeah, that's what Mama calls it at least."

"I will never get used to You guys calling Mrs. Héderváry 'Mama'." Arthur said, closing his eyes.

"I've been calling her that since I was a Sophomore, it stuck for some reason I guess. I never thought about it being strange, and trust me, you're not the only person in the school who thinks we are weird for it." A twig cracked under his next step. "But I bet it will grow on even you eventually."

"I doubt it. A mentor should be addressed with respect."

"I think Mama prefers it actually. She likes to think of herself as our friend rather than a teacher when we're off stage. There is that natural respect but...How did we get on this?"

Arthur chuckled quietly. "I haven't the foggiest idea."

Alfred sighed but he felt a smile curl his lips. It was a strange feeling. He smiled often enough, but it had been a long time since it felt so...Genuine. He shook the thoughts away and sought out another subject. "So, I spilled the beans. Your turn."

Arthur's shoulders tensed. "Right." He let out a long sigh. "I've got one full brother who lives in the UK with Mum right now. I have four half brothers besides him. We all started out in England but after my parents had a fallout, dad moved to America for work. Peter and I stayed with Mum and none of the others had mothers present." He sighed. "My thoughts are scattered, I'm sorry."

"You're fine. I'm following what you're saying."

"Of course...Well Peter is sick, there is something wrong with his blood. He needed her full attention, and for the sake of stability, we had been considering moving back in with dad for some time. He may not love mom anymore but he missed Peter and I. Needless to say, Mum took up his invitation, but only for me. A big move would strain Peter too much." He finished his sentence with a shrug and a sigh. "So here I am. I'm still not sure how I feel about it."

"Oh." Alfred said quietly. After a moment he spoke again. "Well that's a good base, but it doesn't really tell me much about how to act around your family."

"Of course...My father, William and I all live at home. William works strange hours so his presence is unpredictable. My father is a businessman and he goes away often. He usually comes home at night but on the weekends he doesn't. His personal life is something I've learnt not to pry in."

Alfred didn't say anything, just stared at him for a time, lost in thought. Arthur's expression was unreadable. "Okay..." Alfred closed his eyes and sighed. "It seems pretty clear you don't want to tell me about things but...I need more than that to be convincing."

Arthur shook his head. "Just avoid them both okay? They are used to that, I don't interact with them most of the time, it would be strange if I did. And...William is just a complete wanker in general so stay away from him." He put his hands in his pockets. "There really isn't much else to it."

Alfred was silent for a long while before giving a small nod. "Okay then, I guess that's all I'm getting out of you."

Arthur nodded. "Absolutely. And it's all you need until this spell wares off." Arthur turned his blue orbs away and toward the trees spread out before them.

Alfred looked at him for a few minutes as they walked before they came out into a clearing. "Yknow..." He began, then an idea struck him and he smiled. "Come on Iggs, lets go get ice cream."

Arthur blinked a few times. "I...Alright but...Don't call me Iggs alright?"

"Artie?"

"No."

"Art."

"No."

"Iggy?"

"Absolutely not."

"Then what?"

"Just Arthur."

Alfred pouted. "That's boring though. I think I'll call you...Arth...noble bear right? Bear- Teddy!"

"What's wrong with Arthur?" The Brit said with a scowl.

"I donno. I just feel like I'm familiar enough with you to have a nickname for you or something."

"Being in ones body would give a sense of that I suppose."

Alfred smiled lightly and nodded. It seemed cheesy, but that was really how he felt. For some reason, there was a familiarity, like they had known each other for years, or been brothers in another life. He shook the thoughts away. "I don't like Teddy either, I'll just call you Artie. It will grow on you just like Mama."

Arthur let out a sigh. "You don't give up do you? It won't grow on me I promise, but for now you'll call me Alfred in public." He turned and walked the other way.

"You can call me 'King of Peace' if you want!" Alfred said with a grin as he trailed behind him.

"No way in hell you wanker." Arthur said quickly. "I'll call you the King of Fools if you must be a king. Frederick isn't even your first name."

"I don't mind nicknames. You can call me anything you want." Alfred said with a grin.

"I'll stick with 'Idiot' then."

Alfred shrugged and grabbed the taller man's shoulder. His own body whirled around to face him. "What?" He said shortly.

"Ice cream is that way, _Artie." _Alfred said with a grin while gesturing in the opposite direction.

Arthur blinked a few times, looking between Alfred and the sidewalk just beyond the trees behind them. A small smile cracked his lips as he looked back at his classmate. "Okay lead the way _Idiot."_

–

**Wew! Lighter chapter! You've got Alfred's back story now. That was a bit darker but I foreshadowed a bit more in this. I'd love to see what you guys have noticed! This chapter was also going to be longer but that didn't happen. It just felt like a good stopping point. Arthur is still a mystery, and there is symbolism behind those names by the way so don't forget their little conversation here ;) oooooooh. I'm gonna edit and post this before I leave to compete with my company. Actually being IN productions company helps me write the story for sure. Though the composer review is NOT the first thing we do typically, but whatever. I hope I don't confuse you too much with my actor terms. **

**Review please! It is my motivation! (hugs)**

******For USUK art and more frequent updates on this storiy's progress, follow me! theotherhappyone on tumblr!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Taadaa! 5th chapter. **

**I don't own stuff.**

**DARKER CONFLICTS EVOLVE IN THIS CHAPTER! THIS FIC IN NOT FOR THE WEAK OF HEART! YOU MIGHT HATE ME AT THE END! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED, THIS IS RATED M FOR A REASON!**

**TRIGGER WARNINGS: non explicit sexual activities at are very much non consentual, and incest. once again THIS FIC IS NOT FOR THE WEAK OF HEART**

**HAMBAGAH- since you're an anon I couldn't reply but thank you so much for your enthusiasm about this story! Reviews really are my creativity juice so thank you so much!**

**WAIT! BEFORE YOU READ! In this story it talks about the number Arthur and Alfred are performing in the composer review. Their conversation will make a lot more sense if you listen to it first. Link is right here – **** www. Youtube watch? v=JCOQp_QRsNw**** ← remove the spaces of course. Their version will have obvious differences, for one not the fade out ending, because that just doesn't work on stage. One day I will make a project out of creating their performance because the way I'm imagining it, it's going to be amazing. But that's for a later chapter. Thanks!**

–

Chapter 5

"I'm honestly just glad you didn't have a morning wood." Alfred said, a little over casually.

Arthur blushed such a heated shade of red, he was sure it could have melted his ice cream. "I never even...Why would you even think about that?!" Arthur said, unable to stop his voice from cracking.

Alfred shrugged. "I donno, it's a regular function that I never thought was a big deal until now. It's funny how being in another person's skin makes you more aware of your own."

"Ah...yes well the..." He glanced around the shady cafe they sat in front of to make sure nobody was listening. "The spell that keeps my bruises from hurting also tends to have that as a side effect."

"Right...Magic..." Alfred said with a sigh. He took a long lick of his soft-serve ice cream and sighed. Arthur twitched slightly. "What's up Artie?"

"Well...I think...I should have you put that spell on your body, these bruises really hurt." He shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"Why not do it yourself? I thought I was_...special_ too."

"That may be, but I don't know how to use it. This specialness we have been talking about is pure potential energy, and it's not the same for anybody. I am experienced in controlling mine for magic, but yours feels...strange."

The American frowned. "Strange?"

"Maybe foreign is a better word. You need to understand I've had my whole life to learn to use mine. It's a process and it takes years." Arthur said, looking away and toward the light drizzle outside the umbrella attached to the table they were sitting at. They really had been getting a lot of rain lately, which is probably why nobody was around. It may have seemed strange to order ice cream and sit outside in this weather, but Arthur found he liked this atmosphere. It reminded him of London.

His train of thought was cut off by his own accent coming from the other's mouth. "Have you _tried_ using it yet?"

"What?" Arthur blinked a few times. "Oh, no. Even if I wanted to, I can feel it moving around inside your body and I haven't the slightest idea of what to do with it. It's completely different."

Alfred leaned back in his seat and gave his ice cream another lick. "I kinda feel some weird stuff in your body too, but it's just different, not troublesome. It's funny you would say that moving feeling is weird, I thought it was normal. I guess you can't tell your body is weird either when you're in it."

"Yes we have both grown accustom to our own energy, mine seems more calm then yours though. It feels strange and restless, almost like it's alive. Mine feels more like pressure, like something is warm inside me and has a calm glow maybe...Yours feels more like...A fire." The Englishman trailed off. "Is that strange?"

"Nah, I don't think it's strange. I've thought the same of yours, it's heavy y'know?"

"Heavy? I've never thought so..."

"Well you have lived with that weight, when I got into this body I thought gravity was stronger or something. I always feel lightweight and bouncy in my body, almost like I could start flying if I jumped high enough." He finished with a chuckle. "It may be childish but...I miss that feeling."

"Well I miss not feeling like I'm going to fall off the face of the earth. I'm sure I would go crazy if the cloud cover didn't reassure me of my safety." The Brit mumbled.

Alfred chuckled as he flattened the remainder of his ice cream into the cone with his tongue. "Well it's a good thing the sky has rarely been clear since mid summer then."

"Yes, though humid the sky was often clear when I first moved here." Arthur said with a shrug. "That didn't last long though. This place feels kind of like London as of late with all this rain."

"I miss the sunshine, but I don't really mind this either. It makes the air feel fresher, like all the air just got swept up from the ocean and is floating around us y'know?"

"I've never thought of it that way, but yes. I suppose that's a nice way of putting it." Arthur said while eying the trails of water making their way down the outside of the umbrella.

Alfred took a bite off his cone and licked away the teeth marks in the vanilla ice cream under it. He smiled to himself as if an amusing thought came to mind.

"What?" Arthur said with a cocked eyebrow.

"Huh? What?"

"You're grinning like an idiot. What is it?"

"Oh, nothing. Just thinking."

"About what?"

"About...stuff. Like the rain and all that."

"Meaning?"

"Well...It's kinda like I have superpowers and I just didn't know it." A huge grin spread across his face as he looked into his own blue eyes.

Arthur said nothing, with a baffled expression stuck to his features. "I should have guessed." He said in a monotone voice.

"What?! It makes sense right?"

"It's magic poppet, not superpowers."

"Nuh uh! It's powers cause I'm born with it!" He paused. "And what does poppet mean?"

"It's potential energy."

"What is, poppet?"

"No, _specialness._ Don't fancy yourself a superhero just because you have potential energy."

"But _anybody_ can do magic if it's taught right? Like in Harry Potter, but only special people can do the kind of stuff you do."

"Oh don't even start comparing magic to those books, they are completely inaccurate. And even if they weren't, need I remind you only certain people are born wizards. Besides, you can't even use magic. You just have the potential energy, and I haven't a clue how to help you control it."

Alfred let out a long sigh. "Whatever." He mumbled as he finished off his ice cream cone. He glanced down at his watch. "Well we have a whole day to waste convincing the universe or whatever to change us back."

"Right. So what do you think?"

"I donno. Maybe we really _should_ rehearse." He said with a chuckle.

"That would be quite the sight, don't you think? Especially with our music choice."

"I like the song we picked! It's better than '_Me Old Bamboo_' right?"

"Oh absolutely. But we'll need to find a space to rehearse."

"We don't even know all the words yet Artie, I don't think we need to worry about choreography just yet."

"Don't call me Artie, Idiot. And I guess you're right, but I don't have a copy of the music with me."

"I have it at my house. But I don't wanna spend the whole day singing '_Everybody Wants to be a Cat_' if you know what I mean."

"I couldn't agree more."

Alfred hummed the tune to himself absentmindedly when he felt a buzz in his pocket. "What the...Oh yeah." He pulled Arthur's phone out of his pocket and examined the screen as it stopped buzzing. "It's from William." He said flatly, and before he could even comprehend what happened, it was snatched out of his hands. He blinked and looked up at Arthur who was examining the screen, his brow furrowed in tense anticipation. "Um...What does he say?"

Arthur's shoulders relaxed and his expression turned to a small smile. "He is working a graveyard shift tonight but he wants me home no later than ten o'clock."

"Which means he wants _me_ home by ten."

"Hopefully we will have switched back by then. Either way his graveyard shifts are from eight at night to six in the morning so really you don't have to be home by then since he won't either."

"Yeah I guess, but I don't wanna piss him off."

"Oh relax he'll never even know. I would avoid being there for as long as possible if I were you...Except I am you...If I were still me...oh never mind."

Alfred chuckled slightly. "I get what you mean." He let out a long breath. "Well, lets walk around a little more I guess." He stood up quite abruptly.

"Right." Arthur said with a sigh, and stood up. Alfred seemed to like the idea of walking in the rain, which Arthur would never understand but didn't have a problem with.

They paced along the sidewalk under the light drizzle in silence for a long time until Alfred broke the silence. "So...What's your mom like?"

"Excuse me?"

"Sorry is that weird?"

"No it's just...sudden."

"Well, I was thinking about it, I don't know why, I just was."

"Well...She's kind, but she worries over nothing..."

"That's how most moms are it seems."

"...Is it hard living alone Alfred?"

"Nah I'm used to it."

"I didn't ask if you were used to it."

Alfred stopped and the other did too, looking back at him. What seemed like an eternity passed before Alfred spoke. "Yeah...It is hard. But maybe it's better for me, I've learned to be self reliant. Sure it's lonely but...It's nice to be alone every one in awhile."

Arthur sighed. "That's so strange to hear. I'd give anything to be in your shoes and out of my family's hair."

"Well first off, that's stupid because I'd give anything to have some siblings or a parent to come home to. And second, we're already in each other's shoes."

"You don't want my family."

"You keep talking about them like they are awful. Sure William is a bit scary, but I'm sure he means well."

"You don't know a thing."

"Then tell me so I know."

"It's none of your business."

"Seeing as I'm you now I'd say it's all of my business."

"Look just stay away from the family and you'll be fine."

"I just can't understand how you would want to be alone when you have the option to have people around you."

"Drop it."

"...Fine."

"Fine."

There was silence as they walked until Alfred chuckled. "We suck at getting along."

Arthur just sighed and nodded. Alfred looked at the sidewalk ahead of them and for a moment allowed himself to ponder on what Arthur's life was like at home. Maybe there was a just a communication problem?

It couldn't be said Alfred didn't believe in fate, but he had never let it lead him. However, now he almost felt like life had handed him a mission. Maybe they had switched for a reason. Maybe they needed to repair each other's lives. Two polar opposites.

It was in that moment, Alfred decided he was going to do everything he could to repair Arthur's relationship with his family.

That was a very bad choice.

–

It was nearing nine thirty when the two got back to Alfred's apartment. They were laughing, having gotten along a lot better than they had thought once they stopped talking about touchy subjects. Their exhaustion drew them to the couch and they collapsed on it together in a heap of limbs, singing random lines from '_Everybody Want's to be a Cat_'.

Alfred let out an exhausted chuckle. "Wow it has been a long time since I've spent the weekend on stuff that's actually fun." He grinned up at Arthur, who was laying across the couch with the smaller boy sprawled over his legs, half on the sofa and half on the floor.

"I must say It has been some time for me too." He said smiling before bursting into laughter suddenly.

"What?!"

"I'm sorry its..." The Brit covered his face and snickered. "Bendy straws."

Alfred burst into laughter as well. "Oh God that was the best moment of my life. Nobody can know about the bendy straw okay? It's our secret code."

"Of course. Inside jokes are the best kind."

The two boys continued to snicker quietly until Arthur's stomach rumbled. "Oh curse this stomach."

Alfred smiled and started to stand up but a sudden sound made him stop.

"Alfred?"

His green eyes went wide at the voice, the female voice. His head whipped around to see his mother standing in the hallway and rubbing her eyes.

_Oh hell no! Now of all times?!_

"Mo...Your mother I presume, Alfred?"

Arthur blinked for a moment before glancing quickly between the two figures. "Oh...Yeah." He said, quickly reverting to his Alfred speech habits. "Mom...It's been...A long time." He turned around onto his knees and knelt on the sofa with his hands on the arm, looking at Alfred's mother.

The only similarity they shared was sky blue eyes and high cheekbones. Her chesnut hair was messy and hung around her shoulders in sloppy clumps. She looked as if she had just been sleeping, wearing only a tank top and her underwear.

She gave Arthur a sad look. "Yeah it has been awhile hasn't it?" She glanced unknowingly at her real son then back at his body. "Who's your friend?"

"Oh...He's my partner in productions. We were rehearsing and stuff today so he slept over last night." Arthur said quickly.

His mother stood for a long time before quickly approaching her son's body and embracing him close in her arms. "Oh Al, I'm so sorry I took so long to come home." She planted a kiss on the crown of his head and cupped his face in her hands. "Have you gotten along okay? I need to talk to you."

"S-slow down mom I'm fine." Arthur said, putting on his best Alfred grin.

Alfred shifted uncomfortably. He had wanted his mom home but...not _now. _"Well It was nice to meet you madame, I'll excuse myself. Thank you for your time Alfred."

Arthur turned to him with wide eyes that screamed for help. What was he supposed to do now? This is the last thing he expected. Had Alfred told him everything? Of course not, why would he give Arthur 100 percent if the same wasn't given to him? "B...Bye Arthur."

"Oh how rude of me." Alfred's mom said, letting go of her son's face and holding her hand out to the shorter of the two. "I'm Alfred's mother-But you can call me Amber."

Alfred took his mother's hand. "It's nice to meet you miss." Oh if only she knew.

She only then seemed to realize she wasn't decent and blushed. "Oh no, I'm sorry I'll um..." She let go and hid herself behind a wall.

Arthur jumped on the chance. "Mom I'm gonna walk Arthur home and come right back okay? He just lives down the road."

"That's fine...Be back soon."

"...Okay."

–

"Hah, _be back soon_. That's funny coming from her of all people." Alfred mumbled as the two walked down the road.

"Well this put a damper on things. We're not back to normal yet and...What am I going to do?! She wants to _talk_ to me!"

"Calm down, just act off what you know and...avoid bringing up the bad stuff okay? She's never really sat down and had a serious talk with me like this sounds like...So I'm not sure what to expect. Just play it cool. You are the happiest teenager alive, but don't over do it."

Arthur smoothed his shirt and breathed out. "Right then. At east you don't have to worry about my family tonight. It's nearly ten."

"Right on time."

"Oh God I hope I don't do something idiotic."

Alfred put a hand on the other's shoulder. "Dude, you'll be fine. Since this has never happened she probably doesn't know what to expect either. Just be cool, play it safe, and...Be careful okay?"

"You're not helping."

"Fine, just go."

"Fine."

"Good night."

"G'night."

Alfred watched hid body disappear into the late night mist before heaving a heavy sigh and approaching the front door. He thought about knocking then felt like an idiot and opened the door. To his surprise it wasn't locked. It was strange he didn't even have to use the spare key Arthur told him about.

Despite the red flag rising in his mind, Alfred silently entered the dark house and locked the door behind him- groping for some kind of light switch. The house smelled of cigarette smoke and old books.

Though he kept it together, he was also nervous about Arthur's interaction with his mother. Not to mention he almost felt that _he_ wanted to sit down and talk to his mom. Whatever this was it seemed important if she would come home so suddenly without any notification. Regardless, there was nothing he could do in this situation.

"Ah-here it is." Alfred mumbled to himself as he found the light switch. "Yeesh that was harder than it should have be-AH!" He pressed his back up against the door in surprise when he saw William sitting on the arm chair in the front room, his long legs resting against the arm, and a half empty bottle of scotch in his hand.

The red head looked over at Alfred. "You're actually on time huh? I wasn't expecting you back until around midnight."

"Wh-why wouldn't I be on time? I...What are you here for? I thought you were working the graveyard tonight." Alfred pressed one hand over his chest to calm down his heartbeat from the surprise.

"I figured out your system. You've been avoiding me since the beginning of the month. Thursday night was the first time I had seen you in a long time. I imagine that hurt, is your stomach okay?" Though his words composed a concerned phrase, his tone said otherwise.

Alfred's head rushed with new information and his hand quickly pressed to the giant bruise on his stomach. Arthur had been avoiding William to a larger extent than he had thought, repairing their relationship would take more work than what he had in mind. Luckily it seemed William was already making an effort.

"Just a bruise, I was a tad clumsy."

"You weren't clumsy, you knew exactly what you were doing, that's why I had to catch you." William took a long swig of scotch and wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. "You're lucky dad got home right then or you would have gotten a lot more bruises before I let you up those stairs." He sneered at Alfred's shocked expression. "And I held back too, didn't want to clean your blood off the wood again like last month. It's a complete pain in the ass."

Alfred gulped. Dots connected and puzzle pieces suddenly matched in his mind. Everything he thought he had figured out about Arthur's life was completely backwards. The brothers relationship wasn't in need of repair, if anything it needed to disappear all together.

"So you waited for me to get home rather than going to work to tell me you have my system figured out?" He clutched his stomach. "Am I supposed to take that as an apology then?"

William was silent as he pulled his legs off the arm of the chair and sat regularly on the base, resting his elbows on his spread knees as he took another drink. "Come 'ere Iggs." He muttered.

Alfred hesitated. "Why?"

The elder ran long fingers through his fiery red hair. "So I can make it up to ya m'kay?"

"So this _is_ an apology?" Alfred said as he stepped closer.

"Don't make me say it Iggs."

"Don't call me Iggs."

"Jus' c'mere."

Alfred paused. William was obviously drunk and he didn't have much experience with drunkards aside from his mother on occasion. She was just slow and emotional, so even if he did get violent suddenly, he'd be slow enough for Alfred to avoid him. Besides- he looked so pathetic...

Alfred sighed and walked up to Arthur's brother, his whole body tense as he stood in front of the man. "What do you want?"

William hung his head and stayed still for awhile. "Y'know Iggs..." His hand that wasn't holding a bottle slowly reached out and gently took a hold of his wrist. "I can't believe..."

There was a long silence in which Alfred thought William might have been crying from the way his shoulders bounced. But soon he heard a small sound, a breathy chuckle.

"I can't believe you keep falling for that one." William said, looking up with a grin and a cocked eyebrow. His grip on Alfred's wrist tightened and he stood quickly, throwing His brothers body onto the arm chair as if he were nothing but a rag doll.

Alfred cried out in surprise but his sound was cut off by a choke when William put the lip of the bottle into his mouth and forcibly tipped his head back. He punched blindly through the air and thrashed his legs, but soon he felt pressure on his whole body and he couldn't move.

The liquid gurgled in the back of his throat and he tried to seal it off; but he felt a painful pressure on his Adams apple and gasped, choking on the liquid before swallowing it. He wheezed when the bottle was finally taken away from his mouth. The bottle didn't come away clean, it left a sticky trail of scotch on his chest, along with the liquid dripping down his cheeks. He coughed and tried to kick again. "What the fuck?!"

"Hah, why do you seem so surprised Iggs?"

"Get off me! What are you doing?!"

Alfred suddenly felt a hand grab his face and force him to hold still. His eyes opened wide, looking deep into green ones. Hot breath poured over him as the other prepared to speak. It smelt like alcohol and nicotine.

"You seem to have forgotten a few things kid. I'm just taking the time to remind you."

Alfred cranked his neck in the opposite direction and away from the harsh grip. "No! Leave me alone bastard!" A slap to the face silenced him.

William grabbed his face and pulled him close again, digging his nails into his cheeks. "You know what to do, and you know what'll happen if you don't comply. You have five minutes to get ready."

Alfred's confusion and fear welled up inside of him and spilled out from his eyes in the form of tears. Before he could say anything, his head hit the back of the armchair and William pressed harshly against his lips with his own.

Alfred gasped and arched his back.

This couldn't be happening. No. Why was this happening?!

_Good God what am I going to do?!_

William pulled away and gripped Alfred's hair with a hand that had snaked behind his head during the kiss. He yanked him up off the chair and thrust him to the floor in front of the stairs.

"Five minutes." William said again before nudging his brother up the stairs with his foot.

Alfred couldn't think straight, he felt snot and tears running down his face as he stumbled up the stairs and collapsed to his knees at the top. The light turned off behind him.

Five minutes? Five minutes for what?!

He wiped his face the best he could on the back of his arm. He had to get out of there. He didn't know where he could go with Arthur and his mom in his apartment, but he didn't care. He needed to get out of there, he needed to run.

A hiccup escaped his mouth as he pushed himself to his feet and fled into Arthur's room from the footsteps echoing up the stairs toward him. He slammed the door behind him and looked around frantic. Everything made sense, and understanding something never scared him so much.

Arthur...Poor Arthur, Alfred scolded himself for not seeing the signs. Guilt and worry spilled out of his body as he continued to sob. Arthur lived with this, Arthur was probably scared to death on a daily basis. Why didn't he say something?

A knock on the door and a muffled "Three minutes." tore Alfred from his thoughts. He bolted toward the window and climbed on top of Arthur's desk to get a better grip on the framework. With great effort, he opened the heavy window and pulled his torso through, looking down at the ground bellow. It seemed a lot higher up than it should have been, not only that, but a small garden was just beneath the window. Rose bushes garnished the side of the house.

"Shit." Alfred whispered, sniffling. "Shit shit shit shit shit!"

"Such language." William's voice said from the doorway.

Alfred looked back toward the now open door. He gulped and momentarily glanced between the rosebushes and Arthur's brother. "Leave me alone. This is sick, this is sick and you know it."

William scowled. "You really do need a reminder." He muttered darkly as he approached.

Alfred's eyes widened and he made up his mind to jump out the window. But before he could, William grabbed a fist full of his hair and yanked him backward. Alfred tumbled to the floor and curled up tightly.

"Has just a month of avoiding me done this to you? You had gotten pretty good at obeying before then. Maybe I have to pound that rebellious spirit out of you huh?" He nudged Alfred's ribs with his foot.

"Stop it! Don't touch me!" Alfred yelled as he rolled away and onto his hands and knees.

William grabbed around his waist with one arm and covered his mouth with the other, pulling Alfred's back to his chest. "What have I told you about screaming Iggs?" He growled into Alfred's ear.

Alfred let out a pained sound of protest as he pried at Williams hands.

"You're fights not gone yet? I thought I had taken care of that last time but you just keep resisting don't you?" William jerked Alfred down to the floor and straddled him, still covering his mouth with one hand, and pinning his hands above his head with the other.

Alfred screamed into the other's hand and struggled underneath him, but this body wasn't anywhere near strong enough to effect William. Nevertheless he didn't stop thrashing until William lifted him and slammed his back against the side of Arthur's bed.

A pain shot through Alfred's head and everything went black for a brief moment. He threw a few weak punches with his newly freed hands, but not for long before they fell to the floor.

William's lips were suddenly on his. Alfred could feel him grinning, and very suddenly wanted to throw up.

"That's better." William whispered.

Alfred shivered as the cold air touched his suddenly bare abdomen. The contrast of William's hot hand snaking around his body made him dizzy and upset his stomach. He groaned in pain and discomfort. "Stop." He nearly squeaked.

William chuckled. "That's the Arthur I know."

Alfred's sight blurred, his whole body felt the chill of the air around him. Everything hurt, inside and out. His will power was gone, his world had shattered all at once. So quickly.

The rest of the hour blurred together in a mess of sweat and tears. Green eyes, evil hands. The feeling of complete and utter emptiness.

_This isn't happening. This isn't right! No! Stop it! _

Alfred heard the door shut after registering what may have been a kiss on his mouth. He wasn't sure how he ended up on top of Arthur's bed, but he didn't care. He curled up tight under the covers and pulled the sheets over his head.

_Why Arthur?_

Earlier everything clicked and very suddenly made sense. Now nothing made sense at all, nothing.

Who was he again? How had he gotten here? Where had his mom been? How did Arthur survive like this? Why wouldn't the tears stop? Why wouldn't the rain stop? Why couldn't he get warm no matter how tightly he curled up in the blankets? Why couldn't he breathe normal? Why did his chest feel like an empty void?...Why did this have to happen? Why?

_Arthur..._

–

**(hides) I'm so sorry! It was so hard to write this! Ugh! It was even harder to find the will-power to post it! I warned you! I tried to keep spoilers to a minimum but some of you already figured it out. I'm probably going to lose some readers for this but...OOOOOooooooh! I'm so sorry! (more to Alfred and Arthur than anything) But now that you all know Arthur's little secret some foreshadowing might be more evident in previous chapters.**

**I'm not done. There will be more, this was the first climax...woooooah...(dies) I'ma take a break to focus on school for awhile. I'll try to get the next chapter up soon. Hopefully I don't loose all my readers...**

**I love you guys! Please review even if you hate me now!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6! I AM SO SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE! Not only did I temporarily lose inspiration but I accidentally deleted this chapter after writing it and had to do it all over again. (sobs). Thank you to Iseal for helping me get my muse back!**

**If you are still reading this fic after what I did to you last chapter, bless your soul. This chapter is going to be an interesting one, but questions will be answered!**

**Anon replies will be at the bottom A/N because they are too long :)**

**I don't own Hetalia or any music by the Sherman brothers.**

–

Alfred's world was black and white when he woke up to soft knocking on his door. He shifted under the covers and flinched at the pain in his back side. All the bruises on his body seemed to pulse with his headache as he turned away from the wall and towards the door. Color started to bleed into the scene before him as a muffled "Arthur?" came from behind the blockage in the entryway.

The doorknob began to turn and Alfred covered his head with the sheets again. The thought of seeing William again made him sick. When the sound of the door opening hit him, he couldn't help but flinch.

"Arthur it's nearly eleven. Are you alright? Feeling sick?" The voice also had an accent, but it definitely wasn't William.

Alfred felt a hand touch his shoulder and peeked out from under the covers at the man in front of him. His dark brown hair was trimmed tightly to his scalp in a professional manner, but his large eyebrows gave him away as a relative of Arthur's. His father Alfred assumed.

"Arthur could you say something?" The man said with a sigh.

It was only then Alfred realized how long the silences he let pass were. He opened his mouth to say something but his throat felt raw, and all he could manage was a cough.

The man got a concerned expression and pushed his son's bangs away from his face. "Not feeling well?" He asked, sitting down on Arthur's bed. His face suddenly changed to a stony one. "What's that bruise on your face?" He said, lightly touching Alfred's cheekbone near his eye.

Alfred blinked and coughed a few more times before speaking. He wanted nothing more then to tell the man exactly what had happened, but a feeling in his gut held him back, almost like it wasn't his own. His stomach churned uncomfortably and he started to feel light headed. "I...I was just being clumsy."

The man sighed. "Again? Arthur I worry about you. I'm not sure it's possible for one to be so uncoordinated." He touched the bruise lightly. "Bedpost again?"

Alfred nodded. What could he say? What would happen to him if he told? "Sorry." He mumbled.

"What am I going to do with you?...I wanted to tell you, William left for work, I'm not sure if you have plans today but he told me to inform you that he is sorry he can't be here."

What a perfectly assembled mess.

Alfred forced a smile at the older man. "It's fine."

The man sighed and patted his shoulder. "Well you should get up soon. Your day off is ticking away." He stood up after squeezing his son's shoulder and left the room.

"Alfred remained in bed for a couple more minutes, he still felt awful, and by the time he considered the fact William was away from the house, his stomachache had only gotten worse. He was scared to death, though not in immediate danger. What on earth was he going to do? Nobody knew, and _he_ didn't know enough to make a choice.

He felt dirty and violated, his back side felt like it burned whenever he moved too much. Damn, this body had probably had this before right? There was no way it should hurt this much. His thoughts pulled him out of the messy sheets and into the bathroom across the hall, undetected by Arthur's father.

He was still naked, and observed his reflection. There was indeed a small but dark bruise next to his eye, though he couldn't remember how he got it. His shoulder didn't look strange, but it felt like it should be bleeding. The large bruise on his stomach suddenly stood against his pale skin not as an injury, but as a symbol. A symbol of The torment Arthur endured on a regular basis, physically and emotionally.

Alfred felt a lump form in his throat at that thought, and all he could feel was pain, his stomach uneasy and his head in a daze. His heart beat rapidly and pressure built up in his ears until he leaned over the toilet and gagged. Nothing came out but saliva and extra water. But there was no doubt that if he had anything in his stomach, he would have lost it right then. He continued to lean over the toilet until the gagging stopped and he stood up again to look at his reflection.

He was no longer embarrassed looking at the other boy's body. More than anything, it made his feel sad and hopeless. He reached out and touched his hand to the glass, covering his reflection's right eye. He stared back into the one emerald orb for a long while before clenching his fists. He found himself wondering if Arthur ever did this. Just stare into his reflection feeling so...Alfred wasn't even sure what to call it. Maybe it was hopelessness, maybe it was just what it really felt like to be broken. Alfred thought he knew that feeling already, but the more he stared into that one green eye, flooded with horrible secrets, the more he realized until this moment, he knew nothing of pain. And yet every second, it only got worse. Did Arthur feel like this all the time? He truly was a good actor.

Arthur...

Alfred allowed his hand to slide down the glass and onto the counter, leaving a trail of oil from his skin down his reflection like a claw mark. He looked back at the deep swampy eyes. He found himself glaring at the reflection.

"You bastard." He mumbled. "You just let me walk into this? You didn't even warn me." his fists began to shake and he pressed his lips firmly together. "You son of a bitch, you deserve everything that's happened to you!" He suddenly raised his hand and violently hit the reflection in the nose. Luckily the glass didn't break, but it vibrated and made loud noises. He stumbled backward and his back hit the wall of the narrow bathroom. He sunk to the floor before pulling his knees toward him and hiding his face in his hands. "Did you think it would be funny? Damn you."

He waited there in silence for a long time before a knock came to the door. "Is everything okay in there?"

Alfred opened his mouth to speak but more of a pitiful squeak came out.

"Arthur?"

Another gag.

"Arthur are you alright?"

"Yes." He finally choked out. "I...tripped and hit the mirror, but I'm fine."

A long silence came form the other side of the door.

"Alright..." Then footsteps.

Alfred breathed out and after a moment, managed to pull himself up off the floor and look at his reflection again. This time though, he didn't even think about what had happened to him. All he saw were those bruises that stained Arthur's body.

"...You...Must have had your reasons but...dammit...Why didn't you just say something?" He inhaled a shaky breath before deciding this wasn't getting him anywhere and stepped into the shower. The stood in in the tile prison for a long time, at somewhat of a loss on what to do even though he knew he shouldn't have to think this hard about getting clean.

He forced himself to snap out of it and grabbed a bar of soap after turning the water on. He scrubbed his skin raw and red, but no matter how hard and long he tried, he just didn't feel clean.

The boy gave up soon after and just stood under the spray from the shower head. a long sigh escaped him as the minutes slipped down the drain with the water that was swiftly becoming cold. He wasn't sure for how long he was in the shower, but when he got out he still didn't feel clean despite washing every inch of his body multiple times. He slipped silently across the hallway, looking around for something to distract his thoughts from everything that had happened, but it clearly wasn't working.

Alfred rummaged through Arthur's drawers until he managed to find a pair of faded blue jeans and a white T-shirt that the Brit seemed to use for pajamas by the worn down state of it. He glanced at the bed, only wincing a little as he approached it. The sheets were dirty, covered in sweat and a sticky whiteness William had left behind. Alfred cringed and looked away, sucking in a breath and deciding he would need to wash them to avoid suspicion. He still wasn't even sure why he felt he needed to keep it a secret, but he did, and the churning feeling in his gut of not being able to tell stayed with him as he stripped the sheets away from Arthur's bed and balled them up before stuffing them in the laundry hamper. He also made a point of ignoring the spots of red near the middle of the material.

He occupied himself with straightening some things that had fallen off the desk in his own frantic actions hours ago. There was only so many things to straighten in the room before he finally caved.

He had to see Arthur. He was angry but sad, and wasn't sure how he would even handle the situation. He reached for the door and contemplated what he would say to the other. 'You ass, you didn't even warn me your brother was a rapist/pedophile/incestuous Bastard.' seemed right...But perhaps that was too harsh. But at the same time, didn't Arthur deserve some harsh words for what he had done? Even so, who knew how long the boy had been suffering, and it was understandable why he wouldn't want to talk about it. For the record, Arthur didn't even know William would be home, he was tricked. So maybe something a little more gentle? 'Hey Arthur, I'm sorry your brother has been raping you but he did that to me and I could have used a warning.'. Somehow that didn't sound any better.

Alfred sighed as he reached the bottom of the stairs. Arthur's father was sitting at the table with a cup of tea and the newspaper in hand. Alfred stared at him for a long time until the man looked up.

"Good to see you among the living Arthur." He said with a small smile before turning back to his newspaper.

A million things zipped through the teen's head. He could tell him right now, he really could. Then he wouldn't have to face Arthur...Then again what if his dad already knew and was ignoring it? Or maybe this was all a sick joke? They were all pitiful excuses at best, but they seemed very logical in Alfred's mind at that moment.

He shook the thoughts away and opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. Why couldn't he say anything dammit?! He gulped before trying to speak again, but he just couldn't do it. There had to be a reason Arthur hadn't told his father before, what would William do if he found out Alfred had told? His mind slipped to the blood on the sheets and he shook his head, not even wanting to think of what might happen.

So what if he called the police? They would be here before William, and Alfred would have protection then, there would be nothing Arthur's brother could do to hurt him with the cops there.

Making up his mind, he ran to a phone he saw on a table next to the couch and picked it up, ready to dial 911. Just as he finished dialing the three numbers and was about to press the green button to make it final, he hesitated. his stomach lurched, sweat formed on his brow, a strange welling of hope and despair all at once filled his chest. He pressed his lips together, his head hurt and he was feeling dizzy.

He finally canceled the call and put the phone back in it's resting place. He couldn't. Why couldn't he do it? He hung his head and bit his bottom lip before looking up at the door. It looked like he would need to face Arthur no matter what he did.

He sucked in a long breath before heading toward the door and taking a jacket he recognized Arthur having worn off the coat hanger. He opened the door, not bothering to put on shoes as he stepped onto the porch.

"And just where are you going?" The voice of Arthur's father asked him from the kitchen.

Alfred gulped and turned around. "I-uh...Left something at Alfred's house yesterday. I need it for school so I'm going to run and get it."

"Alright. Stay in touch if there is a change of plans."

"...Right." Alfred closed the door and ran out to the sidewalk, his bare feet hitting the cold wet pavement. He trudged right through a few puddles, not slowing down until his own home was a mere two houses away.

That's when he slowed down, making his way to the concrete stairs at a pace that would make a tortoise cringe. How was he going to handle this exactly? He did need to be gentle with it, but at the same time we was so infuriated at Arthur, whether he had a right to be or not. However, he soon realized that he wasn't nearly as infuriated as he was worried. He stood in front of his own door for a long time before sucking in a breath and deciding the first thing he would do is ask if Arthur was okay, then he would confront him about his choices. He reached out slowly and knocked on he door. It felt strange to be asking for permission to enter his own home with the knock, but he knew it was necessary with his mother inside.

Arthur opened the door soon after, looking tired and confused, but very much aware of what was happening around him. "Al...Arthur...What are you doing here? Did you forget something?"

Alfred saw his mother stand up from the small kitchen table. "Is that his bag by the door sweetheart?"

Arthur blinked, looking next to the sofa and behind the door. "Oh." He said after a moment, and leaned behind the entryway, emerging with his own backpack and offering it to Alfred. "Here." He said simply.

Alfred took it after a moment. "Uh...Thanks." He said quietly. He watched, Arthur's features, his eyes darting from his own mother to his own body.

Arthur's expression suddenly morphed into wide eyes and parted lips. He cleared his throat. "What happened to your face Arthur?" He questioned.

Alfred's hand automatically went to the bruise he remembered being next to his eye. He opened his mouth to speak but found no words came out. That was happening too often as of late. He cursed himself mentally.

"Did you trip and hit the banister again, I swear you are so clumsy I don't know how you're still alive." Arthur said before letting out the best Alfred-esque laugh he could muster. All that earned him was a concerned look from Alfred's mother, and more silence from the other.

Arthur let out another small dry chuckle before his face fell completely and he looked behind him at Alfred's mother.

"Sorry mom, I need just a bit more time...could I talk to Arthur for a moment?"

She eyed both boy's bare feet before nodding slowly. "Alright...Just don't go too far."

Arthur didn't hesitate a moment. He stepped out of the house and closed the door, grabbing Alfred's hand and dragging him halfway up the cement staircase before putting his hands on his own body's shoulders. "What happened Alfred?" He asked quickly, eyes wide with anticipation and fear.

Alfred didn't answer, he just pressed his lips together. It was hard to even look at the other, keeping his composure was another story as he felt his nose tingle and knew it was growing red as he held back tears. "I...Went home and...he lied to you." Was all that came out.

"Who? Tell me what happened Alfred." Arthur pulled him closer and Alfred could practically hear the other's heartbeat race. "How did you get that bruise?"

"William..."

Arthur let go, his hands dropping to his sides. "William hit you? How did he manage that, was my dad not home this morning?"

"No...Your dad was home, it happened last night." Alfred looked away. He wasn't sure what else to say, so he decided it would be best to stay silent except for answering Arthur's questions.

"Last night? But...He wasn't there last night."

"Yes he was."

"But he was working the graveyard how could he be there?"

"He lied."

"Why would he lie about his work schedule?!"

"Because he figured out your system!" Alfred suddenly burst out, unable to control his volume. "He lied to you okay?! He was waiting when I got there!"

"Hush!" Arthur eyed the door and pulled Alfred further up the stairs, leading him around the concrete entrance to a tree next to the house. "I...Can't believe...now of all times he-"

"Well you better fucking believe it because I was there!"

"Stop!" Arthur quickly covered his classmate's mouth. They glared at each other for a passing moment before Arthur sighed.. "I'm sorry I...What did he do to you?"

"What do you think?!" Alfred whispered this time when the hand was gone, but it was angry nonetheless.

Arthur took in a long breath. "Alfred. I need to know exactly what he did."

Alfred pressed his lips together. "Everything." He said quickly.

"That tells me nothing."

"He pinned me to the chair, hit me, fucking kissed me, then when he caught up he raped me Arthur. Any more questions?" All of Alfred's words were cut short and crisp to make his point.

Arthur only stood for a long moment, staring at the American like he couldn't believe his ears. "Alfred I...I'm so..." He trailed off.

"You're so what?! How could you let me walk into that with no warning?!"

"I...You...H-he gave you the 5 minutes didn't he? Why in God's name didn't you run?!"

"As if I knew what was going on! I couldn't have composed my thoughts enough to get out of there if I had even the slightest chance, and trust me I tried!"

"Oh, God you didn't scream did you?"

"Of course I fucking screamed! What else could I do?!" It was only then Alfred realized tears were streaming down his face.

Arthur realized it to. He sighed and hung his head. "Of course." His voice became more gentle and he drew in a breath. "You had no idea what was happening...You probably didn't even know what the five minutes was for...God you must have been terrified." He finally looked up, pure guilt and sorrow filling blue eyes. "Alfred I...I'm so sorry."

Alfred pressed his lips together and looked away. "Damn right." He whispered.

The Brit squeezed his eyes shut. "I was going to tell you Alfred, I really was, I just..." A shaky breath. "I couldn't. I would try over and over but I just couldn't do it...I promised myself I would tell you if we weren't back to normal by the end of yesterday, but when William said he had the graveyard shift I...Thought I had more time."

"...Why were you so afraid to tell me?"

"It's not that simple Alfred...I just...I didn't know what to do." he wrapped his arms around his stomach. "I would never wish that on anybody but, I didn't want anybody to know."

"Why?"

"I don't know! I just...couldn't." He choked on the last word. "Oh God, Alfred I'm so sorry I did this to you. I never imagined...I never even considered..." He went silent for a long time. Alfred shifted uncomfortably. He had done his yelling, and wasn't sure what to say to Arthur anymore. "I don't expect you to forgive me." The Brit finally finished.

Alfred sighed. "I'm not sure I could if I wanted to."

"...Did he..." Arthur suddenly looked up with wide eyes. "Did he use anything?"

Alfred looked confused. "What?"

"I...The five minutes...After awhile I learnt to cooperate, and the five minutes is for me to get ready. If lube or protection isn't handy he...doesn't use it."

Alfred stared at the other. The night before had blurred together in such a haze he couldn't remember if William had used anything, but no proper lubricant would explain the blood on the sheets. Arthur continued to look at him with worry in his eyes.

This poor broken boy in foreign skin. He had endured this, he had adapted and accepted. Just how long had this been happening that he needed to adopt a system to help himself through it?

"I...can't remember anything clearly...Arthur how..." Alfred took a deep breath, the sight of the boy in front of him nearly broke his heart. "How long has this been happening?"

Arthur shook his head. "Never mind that, are you alright? Are you bleeding?"

"I will mind it!" Alfred said quickly. "I'm fine, now tell me how long this has been going on."

Arthur fell silent for a long while before opening his mouth to speak. "I...Since..." He put a hand on the side of his head. "I...Well good heavens I can't seem to remember...Everything has sort of gone by in a blur...But if I recall correctly it was subtle since I got here...It didn't get to this extreme until around mid summer." He summoned a fake smile, sad eyes wandering to a rock on the ground.

Alfred couldn't even move. That long? No wonder Arthur was alone during lunch, no wonder nobody sought him out. He was alone. Even if people tried to get close to him he pushed them away, in fear of them finding out his secret. His dark, terrible burden. That he was facing all alone.

Alfred thought back to his experience in the bathroom earlier that morning. Arthur must do something similar every day, collapse into tears on the ground and just wish he could melt into nothing, open his mouth to say something to his father, but find himself unable to speak. What a terrible burden it was. And Arthur had been bearing it for months.

"You're staring, are you okay?" Arthur asked, before pressing his palm to his forehead. "Stupid Arthur, of course you're not. Dammit. you'll have to forgive me, I always say the wrong things."

"Are _you_ okay?" Alfred asked slowly.

"...What?"

"I said are you okay?"

"I know what you said I just..."

"What?"

"...Nobody has asked me that since I came to America..." Arthur looked at Alfred for a long time before clearing his throat and looking away. "I'm...fine...I'm used to it by now I suppose...And I got really good at avoiding him too."

Alfred swallowed. "Arthur...Why didn't you call the police?"

Arthur suddenly straightened up and turned around, walking toward the thick woods behind Alfred's house. The American straightened and followed him.

"Arthur?"

The other ran a hand through his hair. "I...It's none of your business okay?" He said once he was safe in the trees and leaning against one.

Alfred sighed. "Arthur just stop it. Talk to me okay? I already know, and hiding things from me wont do either of us any good."

"I tried a few times already okay? I just...Couldn't...I couldn't even tell you when there was a risk of you being in my body, how could I tell a bloody copper?"

"But they can help."

A pause. "No they can't. I didn't call them for the same reason you didn't."

Alfred thought back to his attempt to call the police before he came. But Arthur didn't know about that so he could only be talking about... "That's bull shit Arthur, my mom never raped me."

"Yes but your circumstances are bad enough for child protective services to get involved right? I don't want to be another number in their system just like you."

"But you have to do something! You can't just keep living like this!" Alfred pleaded.

"And neither can you."

"That's different Arthur, there is everything wrong with what your brother is doing to you. Abuse, rape, incest, pedophilia, he's got everything against him!"

"If I called the police they would investigate my whole family."

"What's so wrong with that?!"

"Shut up, you don't understand."

"Understand what?! You can't let him get away with this, William is a monster!"

"What if I don't want him behind bars?"

"He deserves it!"

Arthur suddenly turned around and grabbed Alfred's wrists in one hand and his neck in the other, pinning him to a nearby tree. "Shut up! You once again have proven you don't know shit about family!"

Alfred gasped, he didn't expect this at all. "E-even if he is your brother you're suffering!" He choked out.

"You would never understand!" Arthur yelled.

"Stop it Arthur!" Alfred gasped, pulling at Arthur's strong grip.

Arthur froze, his grip loosened. "...Alfred I..." He let go and watched Alfred slide to the muddy ground, staring up at Arthur with his own wide emerald eyes. "I'm sorry."

Alfred only nodded.

The Brit leaned back against another tree and slid to the ground across from Alfred. "...I guess it runs in he family...I'm no better than William."

Alfred shook his head, and despite the phantom pressure he still felt on his neck, he crawled to Arthur and sat next to him. "Don't say that."

"It's true though...He wasn't always like this, in fact we were the best of friends. But I suppose something happened while we were separated. Maybe that's why I just can't bring myself to call the police on him." A small fake smile crept onto Arthur's lips. "It's stupid but I think there is just that tiny hope inside me that somewhere deep down he's still...The old William..." A long silence passed in which neither of them said anything before Arthur cleared his throat and shook the thought's away from his head. "I can't believe I did that, maybe I am turning into him...I wouldn't expect a saint to forgive me at this point. I'm sorry I messed up your life Alfred."

"Heh...My life was already messed up."

Arthur hesitated before opening his mouth. "Not as much as it's going to be...do you want to know what your mom talked to me about last night?"

Alfred blinked. He had completely forgotten about it. "Yeah."

"...She is putting you up for adoption."

"She WHAT?!" Alfred sat up straight. "Why?!"

"She said she's sorry she's an awful mother and got all emotional, I still don't quite understand it. I told her I needed time to think about it, partly because I wanted to talk to you, and partly because I never know what to do when girls cry."

"But I'm fine on my own."

"I know but she seems to think it will somehow make up for her lack of being there."

"That's entirely up to her, she can be here if she wants but she isn't! This is better than an orphanage! I only have two years to go before I'm independent anyway, and I'd be stuck there, nobody would adopt me!"

"Oh come now, what makes you say that? I think you're perfectly charming."

Alfred slumped back against the tree and crossed his arms. "People who adopt want either young children to raise or babies, not some angsty, teenage, theater kid."

Arthur sighed. "I know...I'll tell her that but...She seems to have made up her mind."

"I don't get it..." Alfred sighed. "None of her choices make sense ever."

"...This isn't the only time her choices have put your well-being in jeopardy is it?"

Alfred remained silent.

"...Alfred just how many times have you had a gun pointed at you, or had your life threatened because of her choices?"

"...a couple."

Arthur looked away a light rainfall began. "Maybe you are better off in the system."

"It's not always her fault...I throw myself into it. She may be an idiot but, she's still my mom and I've gotta protect her."

"Hence your hospitalization during the summer before she disappeared the last time?"

"She mentioned that did she?"

"Among other things, yes."

Alfred let out a long sigh. "It wasn't that big of a deal, I didn't even really need a hospital, but she freaked out." He rubbed his fingers together. "I know she at least _means_ well...She has my best interests at heart, she just doesn't know how to go about it."

"...She said all she's ever wanted was for you to have a good father who would love you as much as she does."

"...I know..." Alfred said, slumping lazily onto the ground, staring up at the sky.

A thunderclap sounded somewhere above their heads and Both boys looked up at the cloudy sky. Arthur sighed lay down next to the American.

"I think I'd rather be me." The Brit said with a dry chuckle.

"Same goes here."

Another thunder clap and a flash moments later.

Alfred remained silent and closed his eyes, only opening them when he heard Arthur's voice next to him.

"Everybody want's to be a cat." He sang, but the words seemed more empty than anything. The tune was coherent but not by any means energetic like the song should be. "Because a cats the only cat, who knows where it's at."

"When playing jazz he always has a welcome mat, cause everybody digs a swinging cat." Alfred joined him in singing the words. "A square with a horn makes you wish you weren't born, every time he plays." Arthur hummed the beat of the music during a pause. "But with a square in the act, you could send music back, to the cave man days."

Both of them trailed of before Alfred started laughing, a somber sound at most, but still a laugh.

"What is it?" Arthur questioned.

Alfred wiped some raindrops away from his face and grinned. "It's nothing, we just...we're both such a mess." He finished, letting out another pitiful chuckle.

Arthur smiled sadly at him. "We are aren't we?...well I don't particularly mind right now...As long as I don't have to move any time soon."

The American nodded. "That sounds about right." He finished before another long pause.

"We've been getting a lot of rain lately." Arthur commented.

"Yeah...too much rain. I don't think I'll be able to take much more of it."

"I'm feeling about the same myself."

A solid ten minutes passed in silence as the raindrops kissed at their faces. They lay next to each other, engulfed in hopelessness, and yet content to do nothing. If only for a moment.

"Hey Arthur."

"Hmn?"

"...Do you hate me?"

"...No."

"Okay."

Another long silence crept between them as their fingers slowly found one another, and linked in a sign of comfort.

"Arthur?"

"Yes Alfred?"

"I don't hate you either."

"...Okay."

**I hope that was worth the wait! It took way longer than it should have to re-write this. I FREAKING CRIED PEOPLE! This was going to be longer but I decided this was a better stopping place. Also this is a depressing chapter, but I really do have brighter plans for the future ;) Spoiler: They find out how to switch back soon. (smacked) anyway, anon replies below, please review! It is my motivation juice. **

**ANON REPLIES!: **

**Llamas: **you have no idea how happy reading your reviews make me. I'm so glad you're liking the fic and thank you for your energy!

** Tarri: **Yes that is a hard one. Arthur definably screwed up and even though his reasoning with come out in this chapter, I'd like us all to take a moment to appreciate how amazing Arthur is even if he did mess things up big time here. It's hard to understand if one hasn't experienced it, so I can understand your frustration, but the scar left by rape (especially incestuous rape like holy crap, even if they are only half brothers I hate myself) is extremely deep and though I haven't made Arthur's internal struggle with his choice to not tell Alfred clear, I hope everybody can appreciate how strong he has to be. Arthur is no pansy in this fic. Also if you look back, you may notice Arthur goes out of his way to make sure Alfred is not at his house at the same time as William. Wow that was long. I hope you keep reading :)

**Well: **Um...I don't know what Noncon is...But sorry about the lack of warning, I thought I had made it pretty clear, but I guess not. Sorry if the incest makes you uncomfortable, but I'd like to point out to everybody who reads this fic, this kind of stuff happens in real life. It's very difficult, and if there are two points I'm trying to get across in this story they are : 1. You don't have to struggle through these things alone. And 2. Call the police for heaven's sake! And don't worry, I will make this story end happy, I hate it when writers stick in a character death and call it good. And some character deaths are good but it has to still have at least a bit of closure.

Want more frequent updates on this story and USUKUS art? Follow me on tumblr! Theotherhappyone. Tumblr. Com. 3


	7. Chapter 7

**WOW! This took so much longer than I anticipated, but thank heaven for Spring Break or the wait would be longer. Not only did I not have time but it took me quite some time to get my thoughts together in this chapter, the first draft was AWFUL. So awful I deleted a re-wrote more than half of it. How back you ask? Well let's just say the first draft included a Unicorn. Oh my gosh this is 30 freaking pages (double spaced) on my word processor, so much longer than regular, like double the length. I hope the length makes up for the long wait! Anon replies are at the bottom again. And by the way thank you all for your wonderful reviews! If it weren't for them I never would have gotten this chapter out. They really do motivate me!**

**I Don't own Hetalia, Lord of the Rings, or any music by the Sherman Brothers.**

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"I should leave." Alfred said quietly, pressing his lips together. "I told your dad I wouldn't be gone for too long."

Arthur threw him a look over his shoulder and sighed. "It's a bit late for that now don't you think?" They had been laying in the rain for an hour or so before Alfred's mother found them and demanded they come inside before they caught something. She may have said something about bare feet and teenage boys, but neither of them were paying much attention to her words. She left after searching the cupboards for something, saying she would return shortly. That was about an hour and a half ago.

Alfred was now sitting on the couch in fresh clothes that were his own, but loose on his current body's lean frame. He had curled up in a t-shirt and sweats while Arthur sat at the kitchen table, wearing nearly the same thing. They had remained mostly silent since putting their muddied clothes in the washing machine.

Alfred let out a resigned sigh. "I guess you're right. But I hope he doesn't get mad, I sort of forgot your cell phone so I cant call him or anything."

Arthur shook his head. "Don't worry, he trusts me to take care of myself. He'll be slightly peeved at most."

"If you say so."

Arthur looked at him sadly for a time before looking around him for a phone. "If it makes you feel better I could tell you his number and you could call him from the land line."

"We don't have a land line." Alfred said. "If we need to contact people we usually use the landlord's phone."

"I see..."

"Yeah."

"...My father won't mind I don't think. In fact I'd be surprised if he was even still home." Arthur scratched at a crusty something on the kitchen table until it was gone. "He isn't picky about where I go. It's William who likes to keep tabs on me."

"I guess that makes sense."

"I suppose it does."

A silence passed for a long while. Alfred's eyes scanned the once familiar surroundings of his home. It had been less than a day since he had been there and yet everything looked different. He wondered if his mother had deep cleaned or something while he was gone because he couldn't quite place his finger on what was different.

Then again he would have to take some time to figure out what 2+2 was at this point. Everything seemed a little off, and he wondered if he would have to relearn everything. He shook his head and pouted a bit, wishing the discomfort away from his being.

"What's wrong?" Arthur asked.

"Nothing...Everything just looks a bit off. Like everything has been moved an inch to the left or something."

Arthur pressed his lips together and looked out the window. It had stopped raining some time ago, but the sky was still cloudy. "It was that way for me too the first time."

Alfred allowed a shallow gulp before closing his eyes for a time then reopening them. "Were you relieved?"

"What?"

"Where you relieved?"

"I don't understand. When?"

"When we switched." Alfred finished, casting his eyes toward his own body. "Because you wouldn't have to go home to that..."

"No." Arthur said quickly an sternly. "I was in a complete panic. I knew I had to keep you away from my house for as long as possible."

"But weren't you at least a little glad you weren't in danger anymore?"

"No, because _you_ _were,_ and you had no clue." A pained and guilty look lacerated his features. "And that was my fault. I can't apologize enough for not telling you."

Alfred looked at the other for a long time. He could feel his heart sink, for both himself and his classmate. "Hey, I..." He trialed off.

The Brit waited for him to finish, and when Alfred said nothing, he turned to face him. "You what?" His eyes shined with un-shed tears.

Why would he be crying right now?

Alfred gulped again and took a deep breath in. He was still hurt, and still bitter. In fact he was relatively sure he would never be capable of forgiving Arthur, even if he wanted to. But he was sick of all this. He was sick of feeling alone and hurt. He was sick of having nobody he could talk to about his true thoughts, feelings, and past. But most of all, he was sick of feeling _weak._

Arthur felt that way now. He was still alone, though his burden was being shared. He was damaged and no doubt guilty, yet still felt he could talk to nobody about it. If Alfred left his classmate to face his own hollow existence alone, that made the American no better then Arthur didn't it? That made him somebody who knew something needed to be done, but was too scared...and too _weak_ to do it.

Alfred was sick of being weak.

"Don't worry about it Arthur." He finally said.

Arthur blinked and stared at him for a moment. "E-excuse me?"

"You know what I said...What's done is done. And even if I can't forgive you, we honestly have no choice but to face this together. I don't think either of us want to be alone anymore and...if we can't count on each other at _this_ point, then who _can_ we count on?" Alfred cracked a smile, it didn't reach his eyes, but it was a start. "I'm gonna try to fix this okay? And maybe I can't, but if we don't try, we'll never get anywhere."

"But Al-"

"You made a mistake, you should have told me." Alfred's tone dropped and his eyes darkened for a moment before sighing. "But we can't change that. Now that I do know, I can take precautions to avoid it until we are able to get switched back." He pushed himself to smile bigger. Even if they did switch back, would that honestly solve anything? He would still know Arthur was alone in his house, scared to death. He wasn't sure if he could live with that in all honesty...but he would have to cross that bridge when he came to it. "So, let's keep trying alright?"

Arthur stared at him for a long time before gulping and nodding. "So...You forgive me?"

Alfred sighed. "Well I didn't say _that._ But maybe it will come with time."

"You can't just drop what I did and hope it will solve itself."

"But I also can't let you be alone in this when I know what that feels like." Alfred bit the inside of his cheek. "To me that would be worse then what you did, because I'm knowingly inflicting pain on you. That would tug and my mind and eventually I would feel just as guilty and miserable as you do and that wouldn't get us anywhere." His throat felt dry. Somewhere deep down he felt that he _wanted_ to forgive Arthur, but at this point he just couldn't.

Arthur let a long silence pass before slowly nodding. "You're right. I'll try my best then."

Alfred nodded, and this time his smile felt a bit easier to make. Fake it til you make it would be his new policy, because heroes don't just wait.

Alfred opened the door to Arthur's home, his gut churning and his heart in a frenzy. He had decided to be strong, he had made that choice and he would stick to it. But that didn't mean he wasn't scared.

Oh God was he scared.

Terrified was a better word actually. But despite the horror tearing through his head, he reached for the doorknob and turned it, flinging the front door open. "I'm home!" He announced.

An empty household greeted him. He wasn't sure if he felt relieved or silly for getting worked up over what turned out to be nothing.

He traveled across the living room and sat at the kitchen table, simply because he didn't know what else to do. By default, his kitchen table was where he did his homework since he didn't have a desk at home. So without thinking much of it, he took a few things out of Arthur's backpack and put the heavy textbooks on the table. He and Arthur had already managed to get some things done before he had left his own home, but neither of them had a clue about what to do with their math homework.

He sat there for a long time, staring at the papers spread before him with a blank mind. After some time of that his stomach grumbled, so he managed to find what he needed to make a sandwich and went back to it shortly. He still had no clue what to do, so he sighed and gave up on it, packing everything away besides the sheet music for their musical number. He wondered just how long he would be in this predicament, and decided it would be a good idea either way to learn Arthur's notes.

He shuddered at the thought of having to perform in Arthur's stiff body, especially in this state. Nevertheless he sought out a piano, and found it quite easily, as it was in the front room. He began to slowly plunk out the notes, trying to remember the very little piano he had been taught as a little boy. was it "good boys do just fine"?...Or something about cows eating grass? He groaned and resorted to plucking keys until he found one that sounded right, then seeking the next note by ear.

He eventually gave up and covered the dusty keys, putting his face in his hands. The large grandfather clock in the corner ticked loudly and steadily, like a drum, a breath, or a heartbeat.

his head felt like it would float away any moment, in his dizziness, and when he looked out the window, it was dark and raining...again.

He was hungry, so he settled for a bowl of cereal and watched the heavy rain create illusions in the window.

"Everybody want's to be a cat, because a cats the only cat, who knows where it's at..." He kept humming the tune solemnly. He thought about everything. He wondered how Gilbert was doing, when auditions for the next play would be, what Arthur was doing, how he felt...

"Hey Iggs."

Alfred jolted, completely taken off guard. when the Hell had William gotten home?! He straightened and looked at the redhead. "When did you get here?" He asked calmly.

"Just barely."

"Okay."

"You haven't been answering my texts, is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine, I just don't have my phone with me." Come to think of it, the thing was probably still stuffed in the pocket of yesterday's jeans.

"Whatever." William said simply, and sat down next to Alfred on the piano bench. "It sure is pouring _hm_? I wonder where dad is."

Alfred stayed silent until he realized William was waiting for a response, so he shrugged. "I don't know."

"Don't care?"

"Not particularly...What he does is his business."

"_Hmn_..." William stared out the window at the rain. "You know I half expected you would start avoiding me again. I was surprised to find you here in the open like this."

Alfred eyed the other nervously. He had told himself to be brave, but really he had no clue what he would do if William attacked him again. '_why didn't I just hide in Arthur's room when I got here?_' he thought. "I didn't want to make it worse."

William grinned, but it didn't seem malicious at all, it nearly seemed...happy? maybe a little satisfied. "I knew you'd see it my way, see all you needed was a reminder." He stated matter-of-factly, giving Alfred a solid pat on the back.

Alfred forced himself to relax, not wanting to do anything to provoke the man. "I guess so." he muttered.

In a moment, William's lips were pressed against his own roughly, but the kiss was over soon after it began, and William assumed his previous position.

_What the Hell was that?_

"The rain reminds me of England a little bit." William stated, a small smile on his lips.

Alfred eyes him curiously. This wasn't what he expected at all. "Me too..." He replied hesitantly.

"I miss it." The man sighed before leaning back on his hands. "Do you ever miss it? back when we were kids?"

"Yes." the word came out within seconds, so fast a thought that Alfred wondered if it was even his own.

"me too. I wish he could go back to that don't you? when it was just us versus the world?"

Alfred felt William's hand on his own then his throat felt dry and bare. This was all making less sense by the minute. "N-not really." He said after some thought. He really wanted William to back off, this was downright creepy.

"You don't?...Well I guess you're right, we're fine how we are now." Another kiss. "at least you're not in a separate country now."

Alfred shut his eyes tight, holding back a shiver. "I guess." he said quietly, knowing William would want a response. It wasn't much of anything, but it seemed to keep the redhead happy.

"I'm going out tonight. Be good while I'm gone alright?" That's when something wicked flashed in the older man's eyes. "Don't give me any reason to be angry at you alright Iggs?"

Alfred sat silently baffled at the sudden mood change. If he thought _Arthur_ was complicated...Well he was starting to think William was twice as confusing...which actually made sense in a way but didn't sit well with the American.

William stood, rolling his shoulders and stretching his arms. "You'll miss me right?"

Alfred stuttered and his head buzzed. "I-I...I don't...What?"

William frowned a little childishly. "Oh come on Iggs, just say it."

Alfred blinked a few times before the meaning of the words registered in his mind. "I-oh! Yeah, yeah I will." He said quickly.

"Yeah you'll what?" William asked in a prodding tone before leaning over to rest his hands on either side of Alfred's thighs, pressing into the piano bench and shifting his weight so their faces were mere inches apart.

Alfred felt his cheeks heat up out of sheer nervousness, and maybe he was a tad embarrassed too. "Yes...I'll miss you." He mumbled.

"Good boy." William grinned as he spoke, the tone was patronizing, as if he was speaking to a puppy rather than his half brother. He leaned forward to steal another kiss.

On instinct, Alfred jolted backward to avoid the contact and fell right off the piano bench. He heard William laughing before the man came into his vision and offered a hand to pull his fallen brother off the carpet.

Feeling annoyed and stubborn, Alfred ignored the hand and got up by himself, brushing his clothes clean of non-existant dust as he did.

William rolled his eyes. "Jeez, Gave you a fright didn't I?"

Alfred tried to think of something to say back, but he couldn't think of anything good, so he just said "Bye. Have fun."

He didn't mean it at all of course, but William seemed to be fine with the response. After seeing him in this state, he was a lot less frightening to Alfred, and maybe that's why he pushed himself away when William tried to press their lips together again.

This time, the redhead seemed annoyed. "Why are you doing that?" He asked flatly.

Alfred gulped. "I...Well why do _you_ do _THAT_?" he blurted, then scrambled for an excuse.

William crossed his arms across his chest. "Why wouldn't I?" His voice sounded deeper.

Alfred opened his mouth, but it only hung that way for a while before he finally came up with an answer and began, scratching the back of his head. "Well...K-kissing is so weird you know? It's sort of like '_hey I eat with my mouth_'." He stated in a deep voice to show he was imitating a male. "'_I eat with my mouth too! What a coincidence_!'" He continued in a high pitched tone before switching back to the deep one. "'_How convenient, to show my feelings for you, I will mash our eating parts together_!'" Alfred slapped his hands together to show that the two voices had began to kiss. He paused, looking at his hands for a moment, then he looked up at William.

The man was looking at him like he was nuts, and it was only then Alfred realized he had completely dropped his impersonation of Arthur, and not only looked like a complete idiot, but was out of character.

A few moments of silence passed before William spoke. "I don't need a reason." He said, his eyebrow still raised, but an amused grin was touching his lips. "Kisses are important. It's like bringing two people's spirits together and sharing them with a small simple gesture."

Alfred straightened. He wasn't sure If William knew it was a facade or if he had overlooked the entire thing. "Well I...Just _stop._"

William shook his head, chuckling as his smile grew. "You're telling _me_ what to do?" He let out a long amused sigh before stepping toward Alfred, who stepped away. His face grew stern. "Come here Iggs."

"I-No. And my name is Arthur." Alfred said, without even thinking and his eyes widened at that statement. Sure he was in Arthur's body, but he was still himself, and he knew better then to protest at this point, so why was he involuntarily protesting? Perhaps it was Arthur's natural reaction, bleeding through his actions? This was his body after all. "I mean..." He found he couldn't finish his sentence. "Fuck." Was all he could manage to mutter.

"Don't be stubborn." William growled. "Didn't last night teach you?" He reached out and grabbed Alfred's wrist in a firm grip.

"Leave me alone!" Alfred yelped, yanking his arm away. "Don't touch me!"

Quicker than lighting, William reached out and grabbed Alfred's shoulders, then flung him into the all too familiar arm chair. He yelped in surprise and desperation before his hips were straddled by the older of the two. William pinched Alfred's cheeks, holing the blond's face in his palm.

"You _don't_ tell me what to do." He growled. "You do not yell at me, you do not refuse me."

Alfred stared wide eyed, green orbs meeting the piercing gaze of matching forest colored eyes. there was something contrary about those eyes, and Alfred was now aware that there was a very different man on top of him then he had been moments ago. In a panic, he tried to speak, tried to apologize, but all that came out was a pathetic squeak.

"I've been nice _Arthur._" William spat the name out like it was poison. "Come to think of it, you screamed last night didn't you? What have I told you about screaming? I didn't even give you the regular punishment." He muttered darkly, his free hand reaching to grip the boy's neck. "You thought you'd get away with it huh?"

Alfred tried to shake his head, he felt his eyes involuntarily begin to water and threaten to push tears down his cheeks. "N-No!" He managed to shriek. "I'm sorry William I wont do it again!"

With that, the redhead's eyes shot wide open and his grip loosened. He straightened and let go of Alfred, clenching his fists tightly in front of him. "Good." He whispered. Then he stood, and Alfred watched him begin to head out of the room before stopping abruptly and turning back around. He stared at Alfred for a long time and the blond stared right back. The redhead gulped before walking into the kitchen to get his keys, mumbling something to himself.

Alfred listened to him in the other room for some time before slowly standing and heading to Arthur's room. On his way to the stairs, William suddenly walked in front of him and out the door, still muttering.

Alfred's eyes went wide in shock, not because William's sudden appearance had surprised him, but because of what the older man had been murmuring under his breath as he walked by.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

Alfred felt he was suffocating in the depths of Arthur's pillows. His mind raced as he collapsed on the new sheets he had found in a linen closet. Why did real life have to be so _complicated_?

He took a sharp intake of breath, pulling his face out of the pillows. What was he supposed to do? Was everybody in this house just crazy? In thinking of what William had just done, he couldn't help but think of how Arthur had acted earlier, shoving him up against the tree and yelling at him...But that was different wasn't it?

He thought he had sensed that something was off from the way William was talking before hand, but his mood had changed so suddenly. Then again what was Alfred expecting, that he was a psycho rapist 100 percent of the time?

Maybe a little.

But he certainly hadn't expected him to be sentimental. Talking about Arthur's childhood the way he did. And what was it he had said about kissing? It was something sappy, like joining of souls or whatever. What had that been about anyway?

Alfred let out a frustrated sigh, he wondered if William had sensed anything was off during the blond's break in character. He sat up and looked toward Arthur's dresser, topped with the small figurines he had noticed when he first entered the room only three days ago. He picked up the small blue box thoughtfully, rubbing the pad of hos thumb against the windows of the phone box.

Not in a million years had he imagined that he would be in a situation like this. On top of being out of his own skin he found out he was...special? What _was_ special about him anyway? Arthur could see these creatures but what could Alfred do? He wasn't special. Sure he had survived a few near death experiences, but none of those required anything of him that wasn't ordinary.

He sighed and pressed on the blue doors, glad that for at least the moment he was safe, despite his confusion. That is when the doors to the small box popped back into itself, open. It was hollow.

He blinked a few times before realizing there was a folded piece of paper inside. He didn't think for long on weather or not it was an invasion of Arthur's privacy before his curiosity got the best of him and he reached inside, plucking the paper out of the hollow figure. He unfolded it and a feeling of sadness overcame him as he read the words written on it.

'Please don't tell'

Alfred groaned and threw the objects aside, carding his fingers through Arthur's short hair. "Is it even possible for somebody to have so many...ugh...so many..." He didn't know how to put it, even if he was talking to himself. He felt frustrated that he couldn't put it into words. "I am just...Completely done with this. I want my own body back..."

He covered his eyes with his hands. It was selfish, but he wanted to be back to his own skin, curl up on his old couch, and sleep for the rest of his life. He wasn't sure how much more he could take, his heart was heavy with feelings and his head was buzzing with conflict.

How was he supposed to get back into his own skin...and yet...Well either way he needed to figure it out. What was it Arthur said it needed? A trigger.

Triggers were like catalysts, like _cliffs_, _guns_ and _heart attacks_...

He gulped. What kind of trigger could make their spirits completely switch places?

Spirits. Spirits are like _peace_, _water_, _clouds_, _ideas_, _fog_, _ghosts_, _monsters_, _fear._..

Alfred trembled and curled in on himself, holding his stomach. "What am I doing?" He mumbled to himself. All these thoughts were so foreign, and he couldn't help but think something was wrong with him. Maybe it was a result of being in Arthur's head?

Oh Hell. What if Arthur's mind was invading his own? What if they were going to start thinking like each other until they became each other? what if he thought so much like Arthur that he forgot that he had even been himself once?!

Though the thought was perhaps a tad extreme, it made sense to him, and he let out a helpless, mangled cry. He didn't want that to happen, he missed his body, his house, his couch, his mom, the sunshine, the ability to sit down by himself and _decide_ that he would be _okay._ He missed being himself, having his own feelings and thoughts. At this point he had said and done things that made him wonder weather the thoughts were really his own. He loved acting, but this was taking him over, this was consuming him and there was no backstage he could use to escape.

It was then that Alfred burst into tears, unable to take the pressure, pushing at him from all directions, eroding at his soul.

Souls are like _truth_, _honesty_, _love_, _kisses._..

His eyes shot open. "Shit." Knowledge swept over him like a gust of wind. Kissing was like connecting two souls...

He sat up, his mind zipping to the incident on the stairs days before. He remembered distinctly, pressure on his lips. Was that it? Was it really that simple? The trigger was a kiss?

He stood up to pace around the room. It worked he supposed. But what if that wasn't it? Yet what else could it be?

He stopped in his tracks, ran his hands through his hair and grabbed at the locks, feeling his face heat up.

The embarrassment was like a hot liquid. It began at his toes and flooded its way up to his trembling knees, tingling at his chest an neck and lingering at his nose before peaking to the top of his head and exploding from his mouth.

"Oh _Hell_ no!"

Alfred played with the straps of Arthur's backpack as he walked toward the trees to meet him, the scent of last nights rain tickling his nose. His cheeks turned red in anticipation as he approached his classmate who was waiting next to the edge of the thick forest behind his house.

Arthur greeted him quietly before they took some time to just stand there. Arthur started walking, hunching over with his hands in his pockets. "Are you okay?" He asked.

Alfred blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Are you okay this morning?"

"Why this morning, do I look as shitty as I feel?"

"Why do you feel shitty?"

"I didn't sleep much."

"Are you hurt?"

"No."

"You were just scared then?"

Alfred let out a long sigh. "William didn't do anything last night, he was out of the house if that's what you're getting at."

Arthur pressed his lips together. "Yes that is what I was getting at." He mumbled. "I just wanted to make sure you were alright. Also I have a new theory on how to get back into our own bodies. It's stupid but at this point I'm ready to try anything."

"Anything huh?" Alfred twiddled his thumbs. He wasn't sure why he was so embarrassed, especially since he really wanted to get back into his own skin, but for whatever reason he was.

"Everything short of making sacrifices yeah." Arthur scoffed. It was meant as a joke, but Alfred didn't think it was funny.

"I have a theory too." He mumbled.

"What is it?"

Alfred stopped suddenly so he could get some stability before bringing it up, only to find the words wouldn't come out. He stuttered for a moment as Arthur turned to look at him.

"I...Think we...Uh..." He sucked in a long breath before finally grabbing his own body by the shoulders and yanking Arthur down into a kiss.

He heard a distinct surprised sound and suddenly became very dizzy. All feeling left him aside form the pressure against his lips.

He was scared to open his eyes as he was suddenly able to feel his limbs again. The pressure left him and he stood there alone for a moment, his face heated and eyes squeezed shut.

"B-bloddy Hell what was that f-" Arthur stopped, surprised at the British accent leaving his lips again.

Alfred opened his eyes, looking at the shorter of the two. And he actually was shorter now. His green eyes stood out against his red cheeks.

Alfred felt a smile helplessly curl his lips and he looked down at his own hands, tugging his sleeves down to look at the scars on his wrists, for proof if nothing else. "It worked." He breathed, looking up at Arthur, who was only staring at him. "It worked!" He exclaimed excitedly and very suddenly wrapped his arms around the Englishman in a bone cracking embrace.

"Ah! Put me down you git!" Arthur gasped.

Alfred did just that, smiling apologetically. "Sorry." He mumbled. "I just got excited. I figured it out."

"Was it really that all this time?...Come to think of it when we fell I did feel something along the lines of...Bollocks why didn't I think of that?!" Arthur scolded himself, running a hand through his messy hair.

Alfred twiddled his thumbs. "So um...That's over now...thank goodness..."

Arthur paused before looking at him with a faint smile. "Right...Listen Alfred I'm so sorry you had to go through that..." He averted his gaze.

Alfred watched him closely before letting out a sigh. "Okay well...We should go."

Arthur only nodded, and they continued to the school silently.

Alfred found himself wondering if anything would ever be the same.

It wasn't.

It wasn't the same at all. Alfred realized it the moment he sat down in his original seat toward the front of the room for their math class. He found himself glancing back at Arthur every now and then. This whole experience wasn't something he could just forget. He tried his best to pay attention, but it wasn't effective at all.

During the lunch hour, Gilbert pulled him aside to sit t their regular table. Alfred was glad for it, but he felt guilty, sad and...just wrong.

"Hey Gil?" He said quietly, his eyes scanning the cafeteria.

"Yeah?" Gilbert responded nonchalantly.

Alfred's eyes continued to scan, unable to find Arthur. "I think...Hey I'm gonna go find Arthur." He stood up.

Gilbert looked at him with a cocked eyebrow. "Arthur? What do you need with him? You two gonna rehearse?"

"No...Can I ask you a favor?"

"Anything dude."

"Listen um...Arthur doesn't have any...friends..."

"He doesn't? I'd think he'd have people lining up to talk to him with that accent."

"No it's not like that. He won't even...It's not a big deal I just want us to...be nice to him you know? Can we do that?" Alfred turned his baby blues to Gilbert, hoping his urgency would get across.

Gilbert watched him skeptically for a time. "You know, the puppy dog eyes normally work...But you really don't need em' in this case." He smiled. "Course we will, I'll tell Antonio and Francis."

Alfred smiled and quickly exited the cafeteria. He wondered where Arthur was during this time since he wasn't in the cafeteria. He checked the drama room, which he already knew was a long shot since he and Gilbert with he addition of a few others ate there usually. It was locked today because Mama had a meeting, but he checked anyway. After that he looked at the roof. He found the Vargas brothers there, and neither of them had seen Arthur.

He was about to give up when he passed the second floor bathroom. He thought about it for a moment before deciding to check. It was rarely used during this time, being in the back of the school on the top floor, and farthest from the cafeteria.

The moment he entered the bathroom he knew he had been correct. He heard a sniffle from the far stall. Given: it could have been anything, but something told him as he silently shut the door behind him that nobody but Arthur would be hiding in the bathroom talking to thin air.

The quality of the voice was shaky and Alfred felt sad in hearing it. He snuck slowly around the corner and heard Arthur go quiet. He pressed his lips together nervously before speaking.

"Arthur?"

No answer. Alfred sighed. "Arthur it's me...Don't pretend like you're not there because I know you are." Still nothing. "Oh come on."

"Go away."

"Don't be stubborn."

"Just go away."

"No."

"Why not? You have no more reason to stay around me."

"Arthur don't push me away."

"Alfred I've messed with your life enough already. Now that we're switched back it's best that things go back to the way they were." Alfred heard a sniffle and a profanity.

The American took a long breath before dropping to his knees and bending low with his hands on the tiled floor in order to look under the door of the handicap stall. He saw Arthur sitting in the corner, his knees hugged to his chest, his face buried in them, and his book bag open next to him.

"Is this what you always did before?" He questioned.

Arthur pulled his head up and saw Alfred looking under the stall. His cheeks turned red. "Alfred don't look under stalls like that! What if I had been on the toilet?!"

"Oh please." Alfred rolled his eyes. "I was in your body for three days Arthur, you think I haven't seen your junk yet?" Alfred flattened himself against the bathroom floor and dragged himself under the doorway.

"Don't say it like that you idiot!" Arthur spat quickly. "And don't come in here! Stop it!"

"No _you_ stop it." Alfred said with a pointed glare. "Come on Arthur, you really think we can just pretend that never happened?"

"Why would you _want_ to remember it?"

"Because I don't want to go back to being ignorant." Alfred was now kneeling in front of his classmate. "I thought we were friends now."

"That was before you knew..."

"So what? Yeah, I know what's going on, and yeah, it's going to be hell trying to forget it and forgive you but...I know you've been through hell too and I can't just let you be alone about it." Alfred put a hand on the other's shoulder. "If anything it makes me want to help you, because you're my friend."

"What makes you think I'm your friend Alfred?!" Arthur shot back.

"Because I know you! We went for ice cream, told each other secrets, and have an inside joke about bendy straws! You can't just ignore that!"

"The circumstances forced us."

"It still happened Arthur...And I had fun. And God Dammit I am not leaving you alone after all that!" Alfred's hand trailed down Arthur's arm until he found his hand and squeezed it. "Come on. Get off the floor."

Arthur just stared at him. "I thought after what happened..."

"Yeah I did too but...You know it was bad enough without me making it worse...It's not worth it to ignore each other." He reached out and took the Brit's other hand in his. "Lets go."

Arthur was silent for a long time before smiling slightly, and using Alfred's support to get up onto his feet with the American close behind. "Right...You're right."

"Of course I'm right." Alfred grinned. "Friends?"

"Friends." Arthur smiled back, and the strangest thing is, it felt genuine. The Englishman packed up his things and followed Alfred out of the bathroom, but as the American reached for the door, Arthur suddenly burst out laughing, and Alfred looked back at him, confused.

"What is it?"

"I'm sorry, it's just...Bendy straws..."

Alfred laughed too as they opened the door to their new lives.

Days passed in less of a blur, but they still went quickly. Alfred's mother disappeared again, leaving a note that said she would return in a few days. Alfred was both disappointed and relieved. He wished she didn't have to leave, but she did have to pay the bills after all. He came to realize he appreciated her efforts a lot more now, she may not be around often, but he knew she cared for him.

He had also been pretty successful in his own endeavors this week. All of his friends made an effort to accept Arthur and include him whenever they could. Even if Arthur didn't feel like they understood him, Alfred at least knew he didn't need to feel alone anymore. As far as he could tell William hadn't touched him again since they switched back, which both relieved and confused him. He was glad William didn't seem to remember that he had promised to give Arthur his punishment for screaming.

As for kissing, they had tried it a few more times to test weather or not it really happened every time, and sure enough, with each simple peck on the lips, they would switch bodies again. They tried kisses in other places too, to see if it had the same effect, but Alfred had quickly called his own idea off out of embarrassment after the first few. They at least knew now that kisses on the cheek, forehead, and neck didn't have the same effect as on the lips.

Though the idea freaked Alfred out due to the nature of it, he was getting used to it. They had already switched once so Arthur could re-take a test for Alfred before a deadline he wouldn't be able to make up. Alfred was extremely grateful for that, and was beginning to think maybe this reaction to their...specialness...wasn't that bad once he figured it out.

All in all, their relationship was still a bit shaky, but Alfred found the awkwardness of the kisses soon faded with talk of Broadway shows, dream roles, bendy straws, and grades.

A week had passed, and Friday was finished before he knew it. Alfred was staying after school to rehearse with his classmate, when Gilbert stormed in.

"Alfred!" He called excitedly.

Alfred looked up from his sheet music with his brow wrinkled in surprise. "Gil, what's up?" He asked more out of instinct that anything.

Gilbert approached and wrapped one of his arms around the blond's shoulders. "Do you know what today is?" He questioned with a grin.

Alfred blinked. "Friday?" He replied dumbly, glancing at Arthur as if he had an explanation.

"Yeah and what else?" Gilbert urged.

"The 22nd?"

The albino rolled his eyes. "You're hopeless. Today is the day Feliciano's boyfriend gets back from his trip to Germany! You know what that means right?"

Alfred had completely forgotten about that. Gilbert and he had promised Feliciano about two weeks ago that they would get together for a marathon of the lord of the rings trology when his boyfriend got back into town since the couple hadn't seen any of the movies or read the books.

"Oh yeah!" Alfred replied quickly. "I forgot. Did you already talk to Feliciano?"

"Yup, I was thinking tonight, and we could turn it into a sleepover if we need. the extended versions take forever to watch, y'know what I mean?"

"We're taking on the extended versions?"

"Well duh! without the extended versions they can't realize the full awesomeness that is the Lord of the Rings!"

Alfred found himself laughing. "Okay that sounds fine to me. What time? I want to rehearse more first."

"I was thinking to start at 5:30. But you can come whenever since we'll probably hang around for awhile before starting the movie."

Alfred nodded. "Okay, thanks for telling me."

Gilbert then turned to Arthur, who until that moment, Alfred realized must have felt very ignored. "What about you?" Gilbert questioned.

Arthur blinked a few times. "Me?"

"Well yeah, why not, we're friends right?" He shot the Englishman a triumphant grin.

Alfred smiled faintly at Arthur, waiting for his reply. "You like Lord of the Rings right?"

"I..." Arthur paused. "I've never seen it."

Gilbert and Alfred both stared at him for awhile before letting out a loud "What?!"

"Oh, now you have to come." Gilbert declared, poking Arthur's arm.

"You won't regret it." Alfred guaranteed, putting a hand on the shorter blond's shoulder.

"I-I'll see if I can but..." a smile crept onto his lips. "I'd love to."

Alfred arrived at 6:00 with Arthur not far behind. The Brit seemed nervous, so before the movie began, Alfred pulled him aside to ask him what was wrong, and received an all too quick "nothing". Of course Alfred didn't believe that, but he also wasn't an idiot. Something was going on at home, and that must have meant William was on edge. That thought made Alfred nervous.

When he himself had fallen victim to the redhead's wrath, Arthur had been avoiding him for a month or so. It seemed William needed a little alcohol and anger to go that far, but the way Arthur was acting, he wondered if that was the case. And if William was already on edge from whatever had happened, Arthur could be using this party to avoid him.

Alfred shook those thoughts away from his head as the group moved to the basement. He didn't want to think about that kind of thing. But he was, and the thoughts wouldn't leave either. He hit himself on the side of the head a few times to force them away. These were all assumptions he had no proof for, perhaps he was just being paranoid. But regardless of weather or not they were true, the thoughts hurt.

He distracted himself with other things. Feliciano's boyfriend didn't really seem like his type. His face was stoic most of the time, and most of his reactions to the Italian's actions seemed more embarrassed than anything. Regardless of that, the way Feliciano looked so happy as he cuddled up against his too-seriouse boyfriend made Alfred feel that the German wasn't all that bad.

Since it was three people's first time seeing all of the movies, Gilbert was able to be swayed into watching the regular versions rather than extended for the sanity of the first timers. It had been some time since Alfred had watched The Fellowship of the Ring, and the first bit went quietly with the exception of Feliciano commenting on the blueness of Elijah Wood's eyes. It wasn't long however until the scene where Sam commented to Frodo that he couldn't sleep, and said Hobbit told his friend to imagine he's at home in bed to help his doze off. It was at that point Arthur broke the ice and said "Are they Gay for each other?"

It was at that point Alfred and Gilbert burst out laughing, and Ludwig commented that he was thinking something similar. After that, the five discussed the acting openly, and laughed about subtext.

As the end of the movie came, Alfred and Gilbert began reciting the lines dramatically with the characters on screen.

"Frodo! Mr. Frodo!" Gilbert called, reaching out toward Alfred from his arm chair.

"I'm going to Mordor alone." Alfred replied, clutching his chest with one hand and covering his eyes with the other.

"Of course you are, and I'm coming with you!"

At that point, Alfred stood, breaking from the script and holding his hand that had been covering his eyes out to the Albino with a dramatic sigh. "No Sam, I love another."

the group laughed and then took a break for food before starting on The Two Towers. Alfred helped himself to a few too many potato chips before noticing Arthur leaning against the far wall, looking at his phone with a concerned face. Alfred's stomach churned unpleasantly and he decided against eating anything else.

When he approached Arthur, he wasn't terribly surprised when the shorter blond jolted in shock at Alfred's voice.

"Is everything okay?"

Arthur scratched his neck and trailed his hand down his shoulder nervously. "Yes...No...It's a long story."

Alfred frowned. "Do you need to head home?"

"Probably, but home is the last place I _want_ to be."

"Ah, I see." Alfred mumbled in understanding. "But won't prolonging it just make it worse?"

"I don't care...I can deal with it." He let out a long sigh. "I'm sick of just doing what he says out of fear..."

"So..." Alfred leaned up against the wall next to his classmate, glancing quickly around the room to make sure nobody was listening. The other three seemed enthralled in some sort of conversation, so he sighed and continued. "Was coming here sort of like an act of rebellion?"

"No, I genuinely wanted to come, but he said I couldn't and...Well he was already upset." Arthur looked away and stuffed his phone into his pocket.

"But you came anyway?" Alfred questioned, his brow creasing in concern.

"Well, yes I'm sort of an arse hole like that, to him _and_ myself." He sighed when he caught a glance at Alfred's expression. "There is a method to the madness though. Maybe if he see's I'm not scared, he'll stop trying to control me that way. It's a long shot but if it works it would be worth it."

Alfred nodded in understanding, but still felt and insecure lump in his stomach while thinking about the whole situation. He was glad to a degree though, that Arthur was speaking more freely about it with him. It was comforting to know Arthur felt secure enough in that respect, though he wasn't sure why.

The group moved back to the basement for the next movies, which went similarly, though near the end of the night they were all too tired to make witty comments during it, so they just enjoyed it silently. Gilbert was counting on Mountain Dew to keep him awake in his arm chair as it neared 1:30 in the morning and the end of The Return of the King. Feliciano and Ludwig were cuddled together on the small couch, and Alfred couldn't tell if the Italian was still awake. He was sitting on the edge of a giant love seat next to the couch, his elbows resting on his knees and Arthur's back pressing against his calves. He didn't mind it.

It was nearing 2:00 by the time the movie ended and people began to say goodbye. Feliciano and Ludwig left first, thanking Gilbert and wrapping themselves in coats before making their way through the light mist outside.

Gilbert yawned. "Hey, you two live on the other side of the school, I can give you a ride if ya want, it would be pretty un-awesome of me to make you walk that far at this hour." He rubbed his eyes and he waddled into the kitchen to grab some car keys from the hook.

Alfred hummed thoughtfully until he realized he would feel safer walking through the woods then having Gilbert drive them in his current state. "No offense, but I don't think it's a good idea to have you drive anywhere right now. We can walk, I know some shorter routes that are better lit so we don't get lost, and as long as we're together I'm sure we'll be fine."

Gilbert blinked a few times before looking back and forth at them drowsily. His caffeine had worn off and he was going to crash any minute. "I don't want to send you out like that, why don't you just stay the night?"

Alfred mulled over that thought and was about to accept when Arthur spoke. "I shouldn't."

Alfred let out a breath. "Oh."

Arthur gave him a sad and slightly guilty look. "Sorry Alfred, you can stay if you'd like, I can go alone."

"No I'll go, I don't want you walking alone."

Gilbert yawned. "I guess that's fine, it won't take too long if you take the back roads. But if one of you could send me a text when you get home, just so I know you're safe, right?"

Arthur nodded. "I can do that. I think I have your number already from the calling tree."

Gilbert nodded drowsily before giving Alfred a loose hug and rubbing his face. "See ya." he mumbled.

After finishing their goodbyes, the two set out toward their neighborhood. The walk was silent for a good five minutes before Alfred spoke. "So, bad idea to stay any longer?"

"Yes. I think I can get away with staying out late, but sleeping over may be pushing my luck. Though I'm trying to prove a point, I should still be at least a little careful." Arthur answered, shoving his hands into his pockets.

Alfred heard a buzzing sound in his ears, and shut his eyes tight before drawing in a deep breath. "Has he been texting you?"

"Yes."

"And?"

"He's pretty angry, but it will take time to get him used to the idea that I won't listen to him regardless of what he does. It will take some trial and error but I really think it will work."

Alfred pressed his lips together and watched his feet take him closer to Arthur's home. It seemed too close, and too real. His stomach began churning again and he twitched. "Why you'd want to risk it is beyond me."

"Well It will probably happen at some point or another no matter what I do, so I might as well try to break his habit before he..." The Englishman trialed off and sighed. "Well, before he breaks _me._"

Alfred shook his head. "If you know it will happen...Arthur do you ever plan on telling anybody?"

"No." He stopped and looked at Alfred with a sad smile. "If I could resolve this on my own that would be a dream come true. If all goes as I want it to, nobody will ever have to know, and it will never become legal business."

Alfred let a silence pass as they stood still. "You know, it's not bad to ask for help."

Arthur shook his head, a sad smile still resting on his lips. "We've had this conversation already Alfred." He began walking again and Alfred followed suit. "I don't want him behind bars, and I don't want anybody to know...even you knowing is...well."

Alfred spoke before Arthur could finish. "Don't apologize again Arthur, what happened happened. I'm working on the forgiveness thing, but I already know you're sorry kay?"

"But I still...That should have never happened to you."

"Well it never should have happened to you either." Alfred shot back quickly.

"It's my problem."

"That doesn't make it right."

"Well of course it doesn't, but it does mean you should never have been involved and it's my fault something awful happened."

"That doesn't matter right now." Alfred blinked a few times in realizing he had pushed Arthur up against a nearby tree, not roughly, but firmly. "Do you think he'll hurt you tonight?"

Arthur was silent for a long time before slipping out of Alfred's grip and walking onward. "If he's awake, probably yes. When he stays up late he likes to drink, which means he either wont have the will power to stay awake, or he'll be scary as fuck."

Alfred trailed behind him. "I don't like this."

"Like what?"

"You going home to that."

"What makes tonight different than every other night this week?"

"Tonight there is a high chance of...well you know...and I don't like it." Alfred clenched the fabric of his T-shirt over his stomach. "It makes me sick."

"It's a part of my life." Arthur glanced back at the taller blond. "If you can't handle it, then why did you bother pulling me off the bathroom floor?"

"You needed somebody."

Arthur looked forward again, hiding his face, but Alfred knew there was a tiny smile of appreciation there. Arthur always tried to hide those smiles. "Yes, thank you. I had forgotten."

"Forgotten what?"

"That you're an absolute saint...Either that or crazy."

At that, Alfred blushed. "Jeez, Arthur don't make it sound like I'm some amazing guy or something. I just...hated knowing you were facing it alone. I've been in that boat and if I had just let it slide..." He sighed. "I'd never be able to live with myself. S-so really my purposes were completely selfish."

"Selfish or not, it meant everything to me." Arthur muttered that statement quietly, but Alfred still heard it. He didn't respond though, because he felt that Arthur hadn't wanted him to.

"Arthur, if you could avoid going home would you?" Alfred asked suddenly, feeling his head heat up quickly.

"Of course I would. And I could, but if I delay much longer I don't trust my ability to walk by Sunday." He stated bluntly.

Alfred pressed his lips together and clutched the fabric of his shirt tightly again. "Hold on a moment." He said quickly.

Arthur glanced back at him with a confused expression but kept walking until he saw Alfred's expression. He stopped and turned toward him. "Oh dear, you look like you might be sick Alfred, are you feeling alright?" He moved toward Alfred a few steps and reached out to feel his forehead.

Alfred didn't miss a beat, he grabbed Arthur's hand, and pulled him into a kiss.

As was expected, he felt dizzy and lost track of where his limbs were until he felt nothing but the contact of their lips. When he opened his now green eyes, he pulled away from his own body quickly and kept walking toward their neighborhood. He heard Arthur stutter behind him for a moment before jogging up beside him.

"Wait a tick!" He said quickly. "Alfred stop, you don't want to be at my house tonight."

"I don't want _you_ to be there _more._" Alfred said, not faltering as he marched forward.

"No, Alfred I thought I made it clear that if William is awake, tonight will not be good. If he is asleep tomorrow will be hell. you don't want to be there!"

"Neither do you."

"I got myself into this Alfred!"

"So did I."

"God Dammit! I don't want you hurt again!"

"Well the same goes here."

"You're being an idiot. Why on earth would you want to be me now of all times?!"

Alfred stopped and turned to face Arthur with a stern face. "Because you have suffered enough."

Arthur only stared at him with wide blue eyes before shaking his head and trying to lean forward for another kiss.

Alfred leaned away and covered his mouth, continuing to march forward. Arthur followed him and grabbed him from behind, using Alfred's strength to lift his feet from the ground. "Come on, I won't let you do this."

Alfred thrashed. "I've made up my mind."

"I'm not letting you do it."

"Too bad, I'm doing it!" Alfred said, yanking on his own body's thumbs to pry his hands away. Once loose enough, he began sprinting away from Arthur.

"Come back!" Arthur growled, chasing him.

"No." Alfred rounded a corner into a gravel path shortcut behind the school that led to the woods he knew by heart to get back home.

"Let me kiss you Dammit!"

"I love you too bro, but maybe another day."

"You don't know what you're getting into!" Arthur spat as he caught up to his own form and tackled Alfred, sending him to the ground and getting on top of him.

Alfred covered his mouth and Arthur tried to pry it away. Every time he did, his other hand replaced it.

"Alfred stop it! Please, you don't have to do this."

"I want to." Alfred said quickly between switching his hands over his mouth.

Arthur's face was only inches away from Alfred's waiting for an opportunity to press their lips together to reclaim him body. "No. I can't let you."

Alfred realized Arthur was crying, the teardrops falling onto his face like rain, which had increased significantly during their chase. His face was red with desperation and his glasses were crooked from his effort to catch his own body with a stray spirit. The smell of rain on asphalt filled the air as the Englishman's voice softened. "This is my burden Alfred. Don't try to take it on. I would never forgive myself." His fumbling hands finally pinned Alfred's wrists to the gravel and he pressed their lips together, dizziness returning until he found himself underneath Alfred in his own body, left in the compromised position he had left himself in.

Alfred frowned down at him. "And I wold never forgive myself if I let you go home to that when I know what will happen." He leaned down and kissed Arthur again. The switch was quicker this time as he lost his dominant position. At this rate they would get nowhere.

Nevertheless, Arthur kissed him frantically to get back in his own skin. "I won't let you get hurt again."

Alfred, now back in his own skin, hovered close over the other, trying to think of what to say. They stayed in that position for quite some time before the tears began. Both of them, hot tears cascading down their cheeks, hardly able to tell the difference between the salty liquid and the rain pouring around them. But still, they lay in the gravel sobbing until Alfred buried his nose in the crook of Arthur's neck, his shoulders jerking with his sobs and hiccups.

They remained that way for quite some time before their sobs stopped just enough to speak clearly.

"Please let me do this for you Arthur. If I let you suffer anymore, I don't know that I could stand it." They were both soaked to the bone, and noticeably shivering, but weather it was from the cold or their current state, neither could tell.

A long silence passed before Arthur spoke. "Why? Why would you do that for me? Even when I don't want you to"

"Because I...I just...can't." Alfred wasn't too sure himself. He only felt it was what he needed to do, and his conviction had been so strong he followed it, and he still would...But really, why did he? He didn't have a mental checklist for _that_, he only knew that he had to do it. "Can't explain it." He finished.

Another long silence.

Alfred released a shaky breath. "Please Arthur...Let me do this."

Silence.

"...Alright." Arthur whispered back.

Alfred felt his lips twitched into a grateful smile and he whispered a small "thank you." Before releasing Arthur's wrists, and lifting his head up to kiss the boy beneath him.

It began as another dizzy kiss, but unlike the others, it lingered. Their tear stained cheeks brushed softly against each other, and Alfred was distinctly aware of that, but he didn't know what cheeks belonged to who. His position, his body, his train of thought changed so much that he was a dizzy mess in the midst of it. Kiss after kiss leaving them both with no idea where or who exactly they were. They never pulled away long enough to register what body they were in or how much time had passed before the next switch happened.

It was new. It was exhilarating, terrifying, warm, cold, real, unimaginable, solid, intangible, completely still, yet always in motion.

They were both scared and unstable, but both found that this was one thing they could trust in, if only for a moment. And so they let it be.

And neither of them particularly minded it either.

**Hello! OMG last day of spring break, finally finished. I hope it was worth the wait! Please review! I really felt like this chapter was a bit more choppy since I worked on it in sections, but no matter how many times I read over it I couldn't make it stop feeling that way. So I love you, please review and let me know if it was coherent! I really do appreciate criticism, so if you can put your finger on what's wrong, let me know!**

**Anon replies:**

**Llamas: **I'm going to cry because your reviews make me so happy. You always notice those little nuances I put a lot of thought into but I'm pretty sure nobody notices! Thank you!

**Tarii: **I'm glad you like it! I can see where you are coming from with that, and thinking about it, you're right. Amazing wasn't the best word to use. What I was trying to say is he has to be pretty strong to live through what he already has, and yes he made a giant mistake, but I'm just fine with you having your opinion on how he is portrayed in the fic, I just don't want you to think Arthur is evil. You already clarified that you don't so I'm just fine with that. And though it was mentioned briefly in this chapter, I feel I should explain Arthur wasn't worried about Alfred _screaming_ per say, he was concerned for Alfred's _safety._ As has been explained in this chapter, and touched on in chapter five with the "What have I said about screaming Iggs?" moment, William doesn't like it at all when Arthur makes a lot of noise and risks them getting caught. Arthur knows for himself what happens when he screams and was concerned for Alfred's well being because he _knows_ a punishment is coming. It's super messed up. (hides) Thank you bunches for your criticism though! It really does help to see the different ways people interpret my writing, especially moments like that. I need to make my intentions with how Arthur is coming across clearer. thank you and I'd love to hear what you think of this chapter! Though I love reading your reviews you can feel free to leave a message in my ask box on my blog, that will get answered a lot faster, so feel free to do that too if you'd like. Thanks again!

**TAA-DAA! After PMing one of my readers I realized you guys have a lot of minor questions that might not be clearly answered through the fic. Soooo I thought I'd have fun. Instead of doing a Q&A, on my tumblr, you can officially ask any character in the story anything you want! I'll draw a response and it will be fun for all of us! I will answer all questions, so ask away. Anybody from Alfred's mom to Feliciano, anything from plot points to bendy straws! Shoot me some messages!**

**For more frequent updates on this story visit the WTLO tag on theotherhappyone. Tumblr. Com, or follow me!**


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